A fascinating weather pattern is in place in the Northern Hemisphere this week. It’s a river in the sky that spans the full width of the Pacific Ocean from Asia to North America. The phenomenon is remarkably obvious — a plume of clouds with a few areas of low pressure embedded, transported at shocking speeds across the planet’s largest ocean via the jet stream. Plainly spoken, it’s a train of rain on its way to Washington State. Over the coming days, this so-called ‘atmospheric river’ will unload

tremendous amounts of rain and snow over the Pacific Northwest. The series of storms will spray out the equivalent of 10 to 15 inches of rain at high elevations and up to several inches near the coast, including over Seattle and Portland. On the high peaks of the Cascades, heavy snows — measured in feet — are predicted. Wednesday will likely be Seattle’s wettest 24 hours since February, the National Weather Service said.  READ MORE