An atmospheric river is going to have a major impact on our forecast for the next 3 days

Seattle - You ready for a sloppy start to the work week? An atmospheric river has arrived, and it's already making its presence known. Heavy rain is already impacting most of us across the region, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop (break up) until Tuesday. There's been a nice rain shadow that has developed across parts of the North Sound (parts of Island & Skagit co.) but the rest of us hard getting hit with moderate-heavy rain.

Here is a look at the rain accumulation over the last 24 hours:

We're already received .81" at Sea-Tac! We're expecting about 2" in total with this system across the lowlands. The Coast can expect around 3", The Cascades about 4-6", and the Olympics could get 6-8". Whoa! This is a huge concern because of the snow melt that is expected. Snow levels will increase to 7,000' tomorrow - which means heavy rain will quickly take over and melt the existing snow.

A Flood watch is in effect for the following locations:

The Flood Watch is in effect due to excessive runoff (heavy rain and snow melt) which will increase the flow to our rivers. This is huge because it could cause minor-major river flooding. I'm keeping my eye on the following rivers: Skagit near Concrete, Skykomish by Gold Bar, Tolt near Carnation, Snoqualmie near Carnation and Snoqualmie, Skokomish near potlatch, Cowlitz at Randle, and Nisqually near National. These rivers could crest on Tuesday!

On top of the heavy rain and runoff, we'll have to be on the lookout for avalanches due this is drastic change in the weather (Cascades). As the snow tonight transitions to heavy rain tomorrow, this threat elevates! To top that off, gusty winds will kick up too. This will make for dangerous conditions across the Cascades. You'll want to avoid the area as the snow level rises and the Avalanche Warning remains in effect.

A Winter Weather Advisory is still in effect too. I mentioned we can expect more snow tonight and let me tell you - It's coming down! The heavy wet flakes are flying, and it's making for treacherous driving conditions. Again, avoid the area and passes if you're able to!

We'll all feel the gusty winds at times (Western Washington) - but this is especially a concern for the coast. This is where we can expect gusts exceeding 40 mph. There are a couple of alerts in place. Here is a breakdown: