‘Catastrophic flooding’ in North America’s Pacific Northwest as rains ease

Intense downpours were swept into the portion this week by an ‘atmospheric river’ tempest strategy from the Pacific Ocean.

Intense rains that triggered “catastrophic flooding” successful North America’s Pacific Northwest person yet eased, though meteorologists pass the effects of overflowing rivers and floodwaters volition proceed to beryllium felt for respective days.

Tens of thousands of radical were told to evacuate connected Thursday crossed the US states of Oregon and Washington, up done the Canadian state of British Columbia, aft rainstorms battered the portion for respective days, causing rivers to burst their banks.

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Western Washington authorities has borne the top brunt of the storm, with astir 100,000 residents nether “Level 3” evacuation orders.

State authorities person ordered radical surviving southbound of the cities of Seattle and Tacoma to permission their homes, with aerial photographs showing farmland already nether water, and populated areas perilously close.

In the metropolis of Orting, southbound of Seattle, authorities warned determination is simply a “significant menace to beingness and oregon property”.

There person been nary reports of casualties oregon missing radical owed to the flooding, according to Karina Shagren, spokesperson for Washington’s exigency absorption division.

Rescue unit hole to evacuate residents from a location successful an country flooded by the Snohomish River, arsenic an atmospheric stream brings rainfall and flooding to the Pacific Northwest, successful Snohomish, Washington, US, connected December 11, 2025 [David Ryder/Reuters]

Across the borderline successful British Columbia, swaths of the Canadian metropolis of Abbotsford, eastbound of Vancouver, were swamped arsenic of Thursday night, with hundreds of properties astatine risk.

Five of the six highways starring successful and retired of Vancouver were besides closed owed to floods, falling rocks and the hazard of avalanches, the province’s Ministry of Transport said, describing the concern arsenic “evolving and precise dynamic”.

The main road way betwixt Vancouver and Seattle remains open.

The aggravated downpours were swept into the Pacific Northwest portion earlier this week by an atmospheric river, a immense airborne existent of dense moisture funnelled inland from the Pacific Ocean.

The tempest system, which dumped much than 250mm (10 inches) of rainfall successful immoderate places, besides brought dense showers and flooding arsenic acold distant arsenic occidental Montana and the borderline of bluish Idaho.

Though the downpour began to lessen connected Thursday, the after-effects are expected to linger crossed the portion arsenic precocious volumes of h2o marque their mode done swollen stream systems.

“While drier upwind looks to beryllium successful store for this country of the state done the upcoming weekend, the large … catastrophic flooding effects are apt to proceed for respective days crossed portions of occidental Washington State and northwestern Oregon,” the US National Weather Service said.

The National Water Center has issued an updated Key Messages for the ongoing Catastrophic flooding impacts this week successful Washington. More info: https://t.co/UZ3ekqUUkq #flooding #wawx pic.twitter.com/KwdS8a9T5y

— National Water Center (@nwsnwc) December 11, 2025