Pacific Northwest braces for more heavy rain, after powerful storm
caused flooding, rescues
[December 10, 2025]
By CLAIRE RUSH
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Pacific Northwest residents braced for another
round of heavy rain Wednesday after a powerful storm clobbered the
region the day before, swelling rivers, closing roads and prompting high
water rescues.
The first in what is expected to be a series of damaging storms this
week caused power outages, flooding and school closures in parts of
Oregon and Washington on Tuesday. Drivers had to navigate debris slides
and water that closed roads and submerged vehicles.
Fire officials northeast of Seattle said rescue crews used inflatable
kayaks to pull people from stranded cars, and carried another person
about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to safety after they were trapped in the
woods by rising water.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a post on the social platform X on
Tuesday night that the state’s Emergency Operations Center had moved to
its highest activation level because of the rain and wind.
Forecasters warned that the worst was still to come, with some major
rivers expected to crest later in the week. The Skagit River near
Concrete, which is northeast of Seattle, was forecast to rise more than
15 feet (4.6 meters) above major flooding levels by Thursday, which
would break a record, according to the National Water Prediction
Service.
Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's
Seattle office, described the atmospheric river soaking the region as “a
jet stream of moisture” stretching across the Pacific Ocean “with the
nozzle pushing right along the coast of Oregon and Washington.”
The National Weather Service forecast several days of heavy rainfall
along the coast and more than a foot (30 centimeters) of new snow in the
northern Rockies in northwestern Wyoming. Flood watches were in effect,
with scattered flash flooding possible along the coast and into the
Cascade Mountains through midweek.
Along Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland, firefighters conducted
five rescues for people who tried to drive on flooded roads, including a
semitruck driver, said Malachi Simper, spokesperson for Lewis County
Fire Protection District #5. Authorities also rescued a family of six
from their home in Chehalis, he said, adding that the road to the house
was under about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water at the time. None of those
rescued were injured, he said.
Police said deputies went door to door in certain neighborhoods to warn
residents of imminent flooding, and evacuated a mobile home park along
the Snohomish River, northeast of Seattle. The city of Snohomish issued
an emergency proclamation due to flooding, while in Auburn, south of
Seattle, workers installed temporary flood control barriers along the
White River.
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A property with a mobile home is flooded by the Snoqualmie River,
near Fall City, Wash., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Ken Lambert/The
Seattle Times via AP)
On the Columbia River, farther south near the Oregon border, the
city of Longview said it was opening a severe weather shelter
Tuesday night.
Another storm system is expected to bring rain to the region
starting Sunday, Rademacher said. “The pattern looks pretty
unsettled going up to the holidays,” he said.
Portland transportation officials warned of an increased risk of car
crashes because of hydroplaning or driving through flooded roads.
In southeast Alaska, an arctic blast could bring wind chills as low
as minus 50 degrees (minus 45.6 Celsius) in Skagway and minus 15
degrees (minus 26 C) in the capital city, Juneau, according to the
National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm tracking across the Upper Midwest on
Tuesday was forecast to bring freezing rain, high winds and heavy
snow.
Weather forced some schools to close or move to virtual lessons.
Most of the Dakotas were under a high wind warning. Winds of up to
65 mph (105 kph) were expected Tuesday, said Connor Smith,
meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Bismarck.
Parts of central and northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin
could see heavy snow, with a mix of winter weather forecast across
the Twin Cities metro and southwest Minnesota, with potentially
strong winds to follow, said Ryan Dunleavy, meteorologist for the
National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.
Commuters should allow for extra time traveling, he said. The storm
was expected to head into the Great Lakes region by Wednesday.
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