Seattle weather: Major flooding expected for some Western Washington rivers

Weather Alert Day: Heavy rain, flooding concerns

Seattle - An atmospheric river stalled over Western Washington Tuesday, continuing to dump moderate to heavy rain on the area and sending river levels rising to flood stage.

There are several flood warnings in effect across Western Washington. Some rivers have already crested, and others will crest over the next 24 hours. The Skagit, Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Skokomish rivers are all expected to crest at "Major" flood stage today or Wednesday. There are several road closures near these rivers. Make sure you don't drive through water, especially if it is moving. It doesn't take much to be swept away.

The Tolt, Skykomish, Nisqually, and Chehalis rivers are all expected to crest at "Moderate" flood stage over the next 24 hours.

Temperatures were extremely warm in the overnight hours, sending temperatures into record territory for most of the lowlands. Olympia was the warm spot, with a record 63 degrees.

As a result, snow levels were as high as 9,000 to 10,000 feet this morning. This contributed to significant snow runoff into area rivers.

We have seen a very wet start to December. 1.32 inches of rain fell at Sea-Tac on Monday.

As of noon Tuesday, an additional 1.37 inches has fallen at Sea-Tac, bringing the two-day total to more than 2.6 inches with more to come through the evening commute.

A cold front will eventually push through the area this evening, moving the rain out of the picture. Only scattered showers are expected tonight with a much drier Wednesday ahead.

As cooler air pours in, snow levels will drop again, back down below the passes by Thursday.

After a break on Wednesday, the next chance for widespread showers hits on Thursday. Another round of widespread rain will arrive on Saturday. We're looking much drier heading into early next week.