Another Atmospheric River Menaces Pacific Northwest; Also, Flood Videos

Another photo of flooding in 
Washington. Renewed atmospheric
rivers this week will cause 
flooding to return. 

Another series of atmospheric rivers is smashing into the Pacific Northwest this week, raising worries about renewed flooding. 

The flooding won't be as bad as the catastrophic stuff we saw last week, but it's just another headache for all those people trying to recover from one of the worst disasters in Washington State history. 

Already, it's causing real problems. With the first wave of rain moving in today, local media is reporting mandatory evacuations today in parts of Auburn, Washington, and in other areas. Roads are closed. 

Initially, today, the storminess is much like last week. The rain is accompanied by very warm air. That means the rain will fall high up on the mountain slopes where it usually snows. That increases the flooding risk. 

The next in a series of storms will come into Washington toward the end of the day tomorrow, and this one looks windy as hell. A high wind watch is in effect for much of western Washington for wind gusts that could range between 55 to 65 mph.

Since the ground is so soggy, tree roots no longer have a firm hold into the soil. The wind will make it easy for trees to blow over. Officials are also worried about power outages.

This second storm will be the one that make rivers peak again. However, the Snoqualmie River near the town of Carnation looks like it will reach major flood stage again, but not quite as high as last week.  Other rivers will also approach major flood stage. 

Temperatures will also crash, too. The valley floors, in places like Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympia will continue to rain. But in the mountain passes, it'll snow like hell. This is actually a return to normalcy in the Washington.

By midday Wednesday, the mountains above Puget Sound could have a foot or two of new snow. The changeover to snow in the high elevations will come too late to prevent runoff into the valleys below. 

After that, the next wave of the atmospheric river looks to arrive Thursday. This one will hit further south in Oregon, so the risk of flooding will rise there. 

VIDEOS

First, a great overview video of the flooding from KOMO. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Today Show Summary showing rescues, the interior of flooded homes and other dramatic footage. Click  on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

Another aerial view of rescuers arriving at a swamped house in Duvall, Washington to take the occupants to safety.  Again, click on this link to view, or if you see image below click on that. 

 A big logjam formed against bridge abutments over the Snohomish River along a major highway. Also note how close the water is to overtopping the levee. Again, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.

The atmospheric river extended all the way into western Montana, causing flooding and landslides. This is a video of a bridge collapsing in the Montana floods. Click on this link or if you see the image below, click on the image below.