Rain from this weekend's atmospheric river turned to scattered showers Sunday night. Light showers will remain across portions of western Washington Monday before another atmospheric river moves into the area late Monday night.
The weather system that moved in Saturday, bringing back the risk of flooding to areas of western Washington, didn't hit the region quite as hard as previously forecasted.
The weather system shifted, bringing the heaviest rain north of the U.S.-Canadian border, according to the National Weather Service. However, the northwestern Olympic Peninsula and Whatcom and Skagit counties still saw rainfall totals of up to 4 inches in 24 hours by noon on Sunday.
An atmospheric river of similar strength is expected to bring more rain to the region Tuesday through Thursday. Read more
River flooding is again affecting areas of Whatcom County, including the city of Everson.
Floodwaters began affecting Everson Sunday afternoon as another atmospheric river brought more rain to the region still recovering from recent flooding.
The Whatcom County Public Works River and Flood Division is monitoring floodwater as it moves toward Sumas. Read more
Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday, including Canada, and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it's not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus.
The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines. But many countries rushed to act, reflecting anxiety about anything that could prolong the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people. Read more
As families put up holiday light displays at their homes this year, the Federal Aviation Administration is asking them to be mindful of making sure laser light displays are pointed at the house and not at the sky. They can cause a distraction or temporary blindness to pilots.
The FAA said Friday that homeowners may not be aware of just how far those laser lights can travel. Laser strikes have been reported as high as 10,000 feet, according to FAA data. Read more
Thanksgiving weekend officially kicks off the holiday shopping season in the United States. Nearly two million more people than last year are expected to shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.
Online searches show many people are wondering how Cyber Monday first got its name. Some websites claim it had to do with shoppers using high-speed internet at work on the Monday after Thanksgiving, so the VERIFY team looked into the retail holiday’s origin.
Did Cyber Monday get its start because people shopped online while at work? Read more
Also see: Seattle local forecast
Have the "5 things you need to know" delivered to your inbox. Sign up for the daily morning email here.
Download KING 5's Roku and Amazon Fire apps for live newscasts and video on demand.
