December 9, 2025

Major Atmospheric River Event Hits During Finals Week

Last updated 11:30 AM, Tuesday, December 9th, 2025

By Kwabena Ledbetter & Matthew Pfab

Hey Huskies! We are almost halfway through what will end up to be perhaps the wettest UW Finals Week since 2015!

As Western Washington woke up on Tuesday, rivers draining off the Cascades were swollen, as a widespread and impactful river flooding event begins across the region. The graphic below shows the widespread Flood Warnings, which may expand further over the coming days.

The major atmospheric river that has been impacting our area brought a large round of rain on Monday, and has moved south into Oregon…but not for long.

Beginning Tuesday evening, rain will spread back into Western Washington, continuing off and on, heavy at times, through Friday. This will bring large rainfall totals to the region, with the UW campus getting over 2 inches of rain by Friday, with higher amounts in the Cascades…which is what leads to river flooding.

Additionally, another round of gusty winds is expected across the region on Wednesday. Expect winds to ramp up early Wednesday morning, and peak from midmorning into the afternoon. Peak gusts on campus will likely reach 35-45 mph, so be prepared for some pretty unpleasant walking conditions at times on Wednesday. With very saturated soils, more power outages & tree damage aren’t out of the question, so be prepared for that possibility.

Wind calms as we go into Thursday morning, and rain will taper as we go into Friday. However, the river flooding looks to last into Friday and the weekend for many areas, as it will take time for rivers to calm down.

Keep on powering through finals, Huskies…and stay safe out there!

Reach forecasters Kwabena Ledbetter and Matthew Pfab at uwdawgcast@uw.edu, on X/Twitter @TheUWDawgcast, on BlueSky @TheUWDawgcast, or Instagram @uwdawgcast.