An atmospheric river of rain is churning toward Northwest Washington with the intensity of an autumn storm, packing strong wind and heavy rain and leading to lowland flooding, road closures and scattered power outages.
"A vigorous frontal system will bring rain later today and tonight. Rain will be heavy at times in the mountains. Friday through Sunday will be cool and showery," National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott wrote in the online forecast discussion for the Seattle area.
Temperatures will be in the low to mid-60s with lows in the 50s, a more seasonable range.
Lowland Whatcom County could see up to 1.5 inches of rain from Thursday through Saturday, a number that's close to the normal June rainfall total of 1.61 inches and would double the 1.51 inches that have been recorded so far in June at Bellingham International Airport .
Rains will be heavier in the Mount Baker wilderness, with up to 3 inches in the forecast, but updated estimates from the Northwest River Forecast Center see a lesser chance of flooding along the Nooksack River , even with rapid snowmelt.
A crest on the Nooksack River near Nugents Corner is expected about a foot below flood stage on Saturday, and the river will crest in Ferndale about 2 feet below flood stage later that day.
But as potential river flooding eases, the possibility of landslides is increasing, meteorologists said.
In addition, emergency managers urged residents to prepare for weather-related road closures.
"While rivers will likely run high and some may reach near flood stage by the weekend, river flooding is not currently expected on any area rivers," the weather service said in a statement Wednesday, June 8 .
"Ponding of water on roadways and minor nuisance flooding of poor drainage areas may result from the heavy rain. Heavy rain may lead to an elevated threat for landslides," the statement said.
Although the air may have warmed to late-spring temperatures, rivers and lakes remain cold, so hypothermia could be a concern for swimmers and boaters.
In addition, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management warned in a statement of possible road closures in low-lying areas, including Slater and River roads.
"In addition to the river, small streams are likely to see significant flow with some levels pushing near the top or even over. Water pooling on roads should be expected which could affect driving. And places where there is road construction may see some additional delays or bottlenecks caused by the rain," the statement said.
"While people like to get down to the river, this would be a good time to curtail activities around the river until the water drains and we're back to normal river levels for this time of year. You could see a few more critters moving about as water in low levels may cause them to vacate their current habitat," the statement said.
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