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Atmospheric River Pummels PNW

 Pacific Northwest

Bernie Crouse wades through water outside his home after the nearby South Fork Stillaguamish River crested early in the morning flooding several houses in this neighborhood, Dec. 5, 2023, in the Arlington area of Seattle, Washington. (Credit: Ken Lambert/AP)

The Pacific Northwest is being pummeled by intense storms that have flooded communities and potentially left two people dead. An atmospheric river storm began hitting the region over the weekend and continued for the third straight day on Tuesday, dropping several inches of rain in parts of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. The body of an unidentified person was found in a creek outside of Portland, while another man was presumed swept away by another flooded creek. The Coast Guard also performed five rescues across the region. The town of Forks, the rainiest town in the lower 48, got more than double its previous rainfall record for December 4 after getting 3.8 inches of rain Monday. Climate change is amplifying the intensity of storms and amount of precipitation, thanks to warmer air being able to carry more moisture; climate change is also intensifying swings between extremely dry and extremely wet conditions in certain regions, a phenomenon known as “weather whiplash.” (AP, The Guardian,Seattle Times, NPR, King5. Extreme precipitation: Climate Signals)