Heavy rain, snow, and high winds, oh my! Western Washington Christmas forecast

Santa will be surfing an atmospheric river into the Pacific Northwest in 2024, as the region is slated for a wet Christmas.

Which might look something like this...

“It is a very active period," said Dev McMillian, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. "We have a lot of hazards to consider. Bottom line, going into the holiday, primarily on Christmas Day, we have an atmospheric river that will bring high wind, heavy rainfall, and heavy snow at high elevations.”

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If you're in the Cascade Mountains or the Olympic Mountains, it's not so much rain that's coming your way, but snow. Communities higher up in elevation can expect snowy conditions starting Wednesday afternoon (Christmas) through Thursday. Mountain passes will be affected, so plan trips accordingly.

There's a winter storm warning for the western slopes of the Cascades, where snow is expected to fall at elevations higher than 3,500 feet. The National Weather Service says that between 18-24 inches are likely, as well as wind gusts up to 55 mph.

But in the lowlands across Western Washington (Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, etc.), steady rain is forecast to start Christmas afternoon and continue over the next couple days.

The weather service also says that river flooding is likely in south Puget Sound around Olympia, and through Thurston and Lewis counties. About 4-6 inches of rain are expected across the Olympic Peninsula alone.

Expect all this rain to flow downhill. McMillian warns that it could cause some "minor nuisance flooding" and ponding on the roadways, which "could lead to difficult commute conditions."

Folks in north Western Washington, essentially surrounding the Admiralty Inlet, can expect high winds. The weather service has issued a high-wind watch for areas around Anacortes, Bellingham, the San Juan Islands, Port Townsend, Mount Vernon, and neighboring communities. This is the kind of wind that adds up to potential power outages and downed trees. So have those generators, candles, and flashlights ready.

Southeast winds between 25-40 mph are expected Wednesday afternoon through Thursday in this area. Wind gusts could read has high as 55 mph on Thursday.