Our atmospheric river event is over, but the effects--from flooding and avalanches to landslides--are not.
Take a look at the storm totals just released by the National Weather Service (ending 7 AM).
The Bishop station in Olympic National Park got 14.41 inches and nearby Quinault was hit by 9.16 inches. SeaTac (not shown below) received 3.79 inches.
Below is a storm total map for the region.
The heaviest precipitation (almost entirely rain) fell from the Olympics and central Cascades south into NW Oregon. But a very beneficial aspect of this storm was the moderate rainfall over far eastern Washington and Idaho. Dryland wheat farmers are probably very happy now. Water resources around the state are in good shape now.
To get a good feeling for the hyper-precipitation gradients around here during such events, take a look at the storm total precipitation derived from the Camano Island National Weather Service radar (below). Radars can, in fact, be used as rain gauges, with proper caution. Don't take the precipitation values in terrain too seriously...a lot of blocking issues.
Wow.
The rainshadow is really evident, centered on central Whidbey Island. Less than half an inch. But there was a HUGE precipitation gradient down Puget Sound, with some isolated locations in the lowlands getting close to 5 inches.
Daily precipitation records were broken throughout the region, on both sides of the Cascades. Just too many to list.
And with all that precipitation, many local rivers are at very high levels. Quite a few rivers in western Washington, in the Cascades, and even on the eastern slopes of the Cascades are experiencing daily records (records for March 1)--as shown by the black dots below.
Northwest Oregon is the same (see below)
And several rivers in western Washington are at flood levels (orange, red, and purple dots in the NWS plot below). Want to see something impressive? Go to Snoqualmie Falls today.
Today will seem nearly tropical around the region, with highs in the mid-50s in western Washington and mid-to upper 60s in eastern Washington. Enjoy.
Finally, today is a major one for meteorologists. A new geostationary weather satellite will be launched at 1:38 PM PDT. This satellite, GOES-T, will replace the satellite that views the West Coast, which is plagued by some technical issues. You can watch the launch here.
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