This week will see an active pattern get ratcheted up in the Pacific Northwest as the region will get blasted with atmospheric rivers that could potentially unleash up to a foot of rainfall for areas on the coast, while higher elevations could see several feet of snow.
An early beginning to the rainy season is being tracked by the FOX Forecast Center that will bring the potential of flooding due to multiple rounds of atmospheric rivers set to come in consecutively in the coming days. (RELATED: Wild Video Shows Violent Tornado Causing Massive Destruction To Leave One Dead, Nine Injured In France)
Atmospheric rivers, expected long the west coast, are rainstorms energized by moisture, usually with origins that are tropical, riding in the jet stream. These types of storms are compared to a water vapor river in the sky. Rainfall considered moderate-to-heavy that lasts for two or more days is caused when an atmospheric river moves inland.
Did you know that atmospheric rivers play a dual role in our climate system? While strong AR events can trigger flooding and wind damage, moderate events are vital for replenishing water supplies and maintaining snowpack across the western U.S. pic.twitter.com/gyoAdIn4q2
— RadarOmega (@RadarOmega) October 20, 2025
Models from the FOX Forecast Center show the storms making their arrival into the west coast starting Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. After that, they’ll get hit with round after round.
By the week’s end, some areas in Washington could receive 8-12 inches of rainfall, while parts more widespread throughout the Pacific Northwest could get 5-8 inches of rain, per FOX Forecast Center models. Friday and Saturday will feature the heaviest rain amounts.
With the potential for so much rain, a level 1 Flash Flood threat has been issued for Northern California, coastal Oregon and areas of coastal Washington on the southern end, according to the FOX Forecast Center. The risks are for Friday and Saturday.
In parts of the Cascade Range that have elevations over 5,000 feet, the consecutive atmospheric rivers will generate heavy snow for the mountain passes. Some areas could see heavy snow accumulate over two feet. However, the storms are still too far ahead to get an actual forecast on snowfall, according to the FOX Forecast Center.