Residents in the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada are bracing for what could be record-setting floods as an atmospheric river dumps heavy rain on already swollen rivers.
The US National Weather Service warns that catastrophic flooding is possible in the states of Oregon and Washington along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers.
In Canada, major highways to Vancouver have been closed because of flooding, debris, and the risk of avalanches.
There are evacuation orders in place for thousands of people in the US and Canada, and authorities have warned that more rain is on the way on Thursday.
In the US, the governor of Washington state, Bob Ferguson, declared a statewide emergency on Wednesday and estimated that 100,000 residents could soon face evacuation orders.
The emergency declaration warned that continued rain and snow at mountain elevations would exacerbate flooding conditions, potentially severing supply chains and impacting transportation.
Skagit County, a major agricultural area north of Seattle, has issued an immediate evacuation order to residents who live on the floodplain, with an estimated 75,000 people being evacuated from low-lying areas surrounding the Skagit River.
Across the border in Canada’s British Columbia, evacuation orders are active for the communities of Tulameen and Eastgate, along with several other areas. The City of Abbotsford ordered urgent evacuations for 371 properties late Wednesday night.
The region is inundated with torrential rain from an atmospheric river—a phenomenon where water vapor is carried by the wind, forming lengthy currents of moisture in the sky. While the heaviest rainfall is expected to subside by Thursday afternoon, the effects on local rivers will continue to escalate. Another storm is anticipated to roll in on Sunday.
