More atmospheric rivers coming for flooded Washington and the West Coast
- - More atmospheric rivers coming for flooded Washington and the West Coast
Meteorologist Mary Gilbert, Alaa Elassar, CNNDecember 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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An aerial view of homes surrounded by floodwaters in Snohomish, Washington, on Thursday, December 11. - David Ryder/Reuters
Rain has finally come to an end in flooded Washington and the Pacific Northwest, but the region can’t breathe easy: More heavy rain from new atmospheric rivers will arrive next week.
Rivers are dangerously swollen after a dayslong deluge from a powerful atmospheric river triggered historic flooding, tens of thousands of evacuations and dozens of water rescues.
“The situation is truly historic. Rivers like the Skagit River and Cedar Rivers literally experiencing historic levels of flooding,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said during a Friday news conference. “This is something that the people of the state of Washington have not faced before, this level of flooding.”
Floodwater was waist deep in many places, but more than 15 feet deep in the hardest-hit areas like Sumas, Washington, where the Coast Guard rescued dozens. Some people were rescued from rapidly rising floodwater by helicopter while others were taken to safety by boat from their homes or atop cars.
Dozens of people were also rescued in King County, including dramatic operations where people were lifted from treetops, Brendan McCluskey, director of the King County Office of Emergency Management, said during the news conference.
In Whatcom County, officials responded to more than 40 rescue calls, including at least 20 involving water rescues, according to a county news release.
Danger also spiked in Burlington, Washington, on Friday as floodwater spilled into homes. An evacuation order went out to everyone in city limits early in the morning, with the National Guard going door-to-door to notify residents, but was partially lifted a few hours later.
“The situation is extremely unpredictable,” the governor said. “We saw that in Burlington last night, where literally, in the middle of the night, about 1,000 folks had to flee their homes in a really dire situation.”
Flooding and mudslides have brought travel to a halt across western parts of the state. As of Friday morning, more than 20 highways are closed across 11 counties — including a nearly 50-mile stretch of US 2, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. US 2 is a major east-west route through the state with no easy detours in many sections.
Rescue personnel evacuate Ivan and Fabiola Alvarez, who were stranded in their home in Snohomish, Washington, on December 11. - David Ryder/Reuters
Severe flooding in Sumas, Washington left much of the area underwater. - WSDOT
“We are not out of the woods yet. This is not a routine storm event. This is historic flooding that has put lives and businesses and critical infrastructure at risk all over our region,” King County Executive Girmay Zahilay said during the Friday news conference.
Director of State Emergency Management Robert Ezelle warned residents against trying to get back into their homes too early “because the situation still is fluid and dynamic.”
Officials stressed the risks of residents disregarding road closures, warning ignoring the alerts could put both their own lives and the safety of rescue workers in jeopardy.
“It’s going to be days, in some cases, weeks, before those rivers are at a level that it’s comfortable and safe for everybody to get back (home),” said Gen. Gent Welsh, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, echoing Ezelle’s concerns.
“So if you’re an area, you’ve been displaced, you have my deepest sympathies and empathy going into this holiday season. But this is a long haul.”
Residents of a damaged remote town plan to survive on their own
The upcoming atmospheric rivers won’t be quite as potent as this week’s, but they could renew flood danger and will complicate cleanup efforts. Soaked ground struggles to absorb heavy rain, so flash flooding and rapid river rises are more likely with new bouts of rain.
In Stehekin, a remote community tucked 50 miles up Lake Chelan and reachable only by boat or aircraft, the future risk is especially concerning as residents grapple with the wreckage left behind by powerful floods and debris slides that have torn apart the town’s fragile infrastructure.
The debris slides trace back to the burn scar left by the massive Pioneer Fire of 2024, which ignited on the north side of Chelan County before roaring into the surrounding wilderness, leaving the landscape dangerously vulnerable and prone to flooding, Chelan County Emergency Management Sgt. Jason Reinfeld told CNN.
“When the storm came through, it just loosened all that (debris) up, and they had some slides that have blocked large portions of the roadway,” Reinfeld said. As floodwaters surged through the area, the ground gave way, sending debris flows that severed access to Stehekin, blocking landing zones and boat docks and further isolating the community.
Flood damage in Stehekin, Washington caused debris slides over burn scars, leaving isolated residents without power and for some, even water. - Courtesy Jenifer Byquist
“They’re a very resilient community as it is, they’re used to living far away from others, but they are a lot of the citizens up there are without power,” Reinfeld said. Three sections of the community farther up the valley are now completely cut off, with debris flows sealing off roads and leaving residents stuck.
“Two of those groups are well-equipped, and they’re able to sustain themselves for a long period of time here, one of them says even through the winter, if they had to,” said Reinfeld.
The third group, however, is running dangerously low on fuel and is awaiting a delivery from the sheriff’s office on Saturday. Deputies are also hauling in three pallets of drinking water to sustain residents until their wells can be restored.
Public utility district crews, responsible for power, water, and sewer services, have been working to assess the damage, but blocked access points throughout the community have severely hampered their efforts.
It will take "months" to help Stehekin, Washington recover from the damage caused by the floods, according to Chelan County Emergency Management. - Courtesy Jenifer Byquist
“Just clearing up access is a problem,” Reinfeld said.
“This is going to be a long time problem. It’s going to take quite a while to recover from,” he added. “It’s much harder to do a lot of the work in the wintertime.”
What’s expected to come
Light rain will move into western Washington on Sunday, but it will just be an appetizer for the atmospheric river that dips into the area early Monday.
Washington will endure the brunt of the heaviest rain Monday, but some soaking rain will also move farther south into western Oregon as the day progresses. This atmospheric river is forecast to be at least a Level 4 of 5 or “strong” event for these states.
“Multiple days of continued rain next week could lead to additional significant impacts given the moderate to major flooding ongoing at present,” the Weather Prediction Center warned Thursday.
A Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rainfall is already in place for much of western Washington Monday, with a Level 1 of 4 risk in western Oregon and far northwestern California, according to the WPC.
Rivers in the region that lower over the weekend could quickly surge back to dangerous levels as rain falls, including portions of the Snohomish and Skagit rivers. Both surged into major flood stage – the highest level – and crested at historic levels on Thursday, breaking records last set in 1990.
Wet weather will ease a bit in the Pacific Northwest early Tuesday before another atmospheric river-fueled storm arrives late in the day and continues through Wednesday. This storm will be more widespread than Monday’s, with rain likely from Washington to much of Northern California.
Some high-elevation snow from this storm will fall in portions of the Cascades and east into the northern Rockies.
The hits just keep coming: Additional storminess is possible later next week, too. The forecast that far out is still coming into focus, but anyone in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California can’t let their guard down.
CNN’s Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
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