'Seattle News Weekly': Historic flooding across western WA
‘Seattle News Weekly S1E18’: Flooding across the Puget Sound
On this week's episode of Seattle News Weekly, FOX 13's Matthew Smith is joined by FOX 13 Meteorologist Abby Acone to talk about the flooding across the Puget Sound. Abby is checking in from Renton where Cedar River is on track to break an all-time flooding record. The two also chat about the setup for this atmospheric river and what made it different from previous ones.
SEATTLE - This week, western Washington faced historic and widespread flooding caused by two atmospheric river events that hit the region.
On this episode of the "Seattle News Weekly" podcast, FOX 13 Seattle Anchor Matthew Smith is joined by FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Abby Acone to discuss the record-level flooding around the region, including flooding from the Cedar River in Renton.
Early Thursday morning, the Cedar River exceeded its all-time major flooding record, reaching 17.22 feet, surpassing its previous 1990 record of 17.1 feet. This trend of historic high-water levels was observed in rivers across western Washington.
Acone describes the power of the water as "quite intense," and notes how the water has continued to inch higher and higher, inundating trails and causing visible damage.
Big picture view:
In this podcast episode, the two discuss how the city of Renton, like other river communities, has concrete levees and earth mounds. They also talk about how Renton has been closely monitoring the situation, offering free sandbags, and providing a shelter at Saint Matthew's that welcomes pets.
The Cedar River is forecasted to drop to moderate flood stage Friday and below flood stage by Sunday morning.
Dig deeper:
This week's podcast further dives into the common confusion that people have about flooding.
Smith brings up the common confusion about flooding and how it continues even after the rain has stopped.
Acone explains the delayed effect: it takes time for the heavy rain, which is concentrated over the higher elevations (where rain totals are greater), to run off the terrain and flow into the rivers.
Smith and Acone discuss how this week's weather event was unique because the atmosphere was "blocked up" by a high-pressure system in the Pacific and low pressure to the north. This "conveyor belt of moisture" was locked in place, preventing the system from moving.
Acone also notes that Wednesday's atmospheric river was from a Pineapple Express. It was warmer and had more moisture, causing temperatures to rise into the upper 50s, which is a testament to its tropical nature.
Join us every Thursday to stay up to date on weekly news around the area.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible, or YouTube.
The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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