An atmospheric river will slam the Northwest with heavy rains and snow over the next few days.
The National Weather Service has warned that some mountainous parts could expect up to 15 inches of rain, while coastal areas such as Portland and Seattle are poised to receive several inches of rainfall, USA Today noted.
The National Weather Service predicted that this could be the wettest weather that Seattle has seen since February.
Residents in west Washington and northwest Oregon are bracing themselves for possible flash flooding as a result of the heavy rains on Thursday, while snowfall will reach Washington, Oregon Cascades, parts of the northern Rockies as well as higher elevations of northern California.
According to USA Today, rain could make it to parts of fire-ravaged California, however it would not be widespread enough to quench any blazes.
The heavy rainfall, snow and gusty winds are linked to a strong jet stream across the Pacific Ocean, Jordan Root, a meteorologist for AccuWeather noted.
The jet is expected to weaken by the end of the week but would still strengthen a surface low tracking towards the northwest California Coast and the Northwest U.S. coastline.
"This strong low pressure system will develop a strong southwesterly flow that will pull a stream of anomalously high moisture from the tropics, which is known as an atmospheric river," Root said.
As a result, Oregon and northern and central California will be hit by a powerful storm late on Thursday, which is expected to linger until Saturday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described atmospheric rivers as "relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics."
In this instance, the "river in the sky" stretches 5,000 miles and has stunned meteorologists, The Washington Post reported.
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