More storms take aim at Whatcom, raising concerns about flooding
After a dry summer, Western Washington is settling into a familiar pattern amid a third straight La Niña, a seasonal weather phenomenon that usually means a cold, wet winter.
Bellingham met its monthly average rainfall in October for the first time since July, thanks to an atmospheric river storm that dumped about 2 inches of rain in two days as measured at the airport.
Another atmospheric river is set to drench the Whatcom County lowlands later this week, but data from the Northwest River Forecast Center sees the Nooksack River cresting below flood stage for now.
“The next weather system will drop enough precipitation to cause the river to rise again as we head into the weekend. At this time, there is no concern about river flooding but as with any weather system, conditions could cause it to strengthen or weaken,” the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management said in a statement Tuesday, Nov. 1.
“Showers and much colder temperatures are expected Tuesday (Nov. 1) and Wednesday (Nov. 2) before another atmospheric river approaches late Thursday (Nov. 3) and affects the area Friday (Nov. 4) and early Saturday (Nov. 5),” Carly Kovacik and Kayla Mazurkiewicz said in the online forecast discussion from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“Showers then persist through the weekend with a return to colder temperatures,” Kovacik and Kayla Mazurkiewicz said.
More snow was expected in the North Cascades this week, according to the forecast.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Oct. 31, the National Weather Service said the storm later this week will bring heavy rain and strong winds to Western Washington, and Bellingham could get 2 inches of rain Friday and Saturday.
“Area rivers are expected to rise, but uncertainty remains as to what/if any will reach flood stage,” the emailed statement said.
An atmospheric river is a long, flowing stream of water vapor that can be 250 to 375 miles wide and more than 1,000 miles long, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They can drop massive amounts of rain.
It was a series of atmospheric river storms in November 2021 that caused destructive flooding in several Whatcom County communities along the Nooksack River, causing an estimated $200 million in damage from Maple Falls to Lummi Nation.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
