Hurricane Hunters investigate atmospheric river bringing flood threat to Northwest this weekend
A flash flood threat has been outlined for the coasts of Washington and Oregon through the weekend. Flooding is also possible in parts of Idaho and Montana.
Atmospheric river takes aim at Pacific Northwest
A combination of snow melt and heavy rainfall will lead to flash flooding concerns in parts of Washington and Oregon for the next several days.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Forecasters are getting an in-depth look at the next storm that's about to wallop the West Coast this weekend, thanks to the efforts of the Hurricane Hunters. Those are special missions flown by the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.
Hurricane Hunters spent about 10 hours in flight overnight Thursday into Friday, gathering crucial weather data by flying into the atmospheric river storm that's currently over the Pacific Ocean.
The storm is expected to bring urban and river flooding to western portions of Washington and Oregon beginning Saturday and continuing into Tuesday.
Hurricane Hunters' route through the atmospheric river on Feb. 20, 2025.
As their name suggests, Hurricane Hunters see the most missions during hurricane season. During the winter, their mission shifts toward atmospheric rivers because of how impactful these storms have been on the West, according to a release from the Air Force 403rd Wing.
"The data we collect is important for forecasters at the National Weather Service and researchers to track atmospheric rivers, which are large amounts of water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere," said Lt. Col. Ryan Rickert, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer.
INSIDE THE 'FLYING LABORATORY' USED BY NOAA'S HURRICANE HUNTERS
Advances in forecasting Atmospheric Rivers
It is rainy season for the west coast and that means Atmospheric Rivers, which can bring repeated days of rain and moisture over the same region. These Atmospheric Rivers cause an average of one billion dollars a year in damages. Marty Ralph the Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes spoke with Weather Command to discuss how new reconnaissance aircraft are being used to improve the way Atmospheric Rivers are forecast.
According to the Air Force, missions involve flying aircraft from 24,000 to 32,000 feet to collect crucial horizontal and vertical profiles of the winds, temperature, humidity, dewpoint and pressure for forecast models. The planes then drop advanced weather sensors and devices called dropsondes into the storm. This allows the crew to obtain data that could not be gathered by traditional ground-based weather stations or satellites.
That data is then sent to the National Center for Environmental Prediction, which is used to improve weather forecast models.
In addition to flying out of Hawaii, the missions operate out of Washington state, California, Mississippi, and for the first time, Yokota Air Base in Japan.
HURRICANE HUNTERS TRACK WESTERN FLOODS, DROUGHT IN OFF-SEASON
(FOX Weather)
Pacific-Northwest to be walloped by heavy rain along the coast, snow at higher elevations
As for the atmospheric river itself, the storm is expected to bring heavy rain for the entire Pacific Northwest coast starting Saturday.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, urban and river flooding are possible with the potential of up to 8 inches of rainfall in some places, through Tuesday.
The bulk of the rain will fall this weekend. River flooding is expected to begin Sunday, with the Skokomish River forecast to rise above minor flood stage.
The majority of the snow will fall in the Cascades at elevations starting about 6,500 feet.
A multi-day flash flood threat was outlined along the Washington-Oregon coast.
This atmospheric river could also bring significant flash flooding across parts of Idaho and Montana where the ground remains frozen from days of subzero temperatures.
(FOX Weather)