Washington
Atmospheric Rivers Spread Flood Threat To California | Weather.com
Atmospheric River Soaking Northern California
A parade of Pacific storms accompanied by atmospheric rivers will continue to march into the West Coast through Christmas, spreading the threat of heavy rain from already flooded areas of western Washington and Oregon to California.
Now, the newest atmospheric river is set to arrive in California later today with increasing threats of flooding, mountain snow and gusty winds. This is further south than most of the atmospheric river events so far this month, but gives a break to the Pacific Northwest.

Let’s step through the timing, then who could see the most rain and the potential impacts.
Timing
Saturday night – Monday: The next atmospheric river arrives in Northern California late Saturday, stalls Sunday, and lingers Monday, especially north of the Bay Area.
Tuesday – Christmas Eve: A stronger storm will move into California with heavy rain and strong winds, first in Northern California, then spreading to Southern California Tuesday night. Some rain and mountain snow from this system could also stream into parts of Washington and Oregon.
Christmas Day: A second strong Pacific storm could surge into California, with a second round of heavy rain, strong winds and heavy Sierra snow that could linger into the day after Christmas.
(MORE: What Is An Atmospheric River?)

How Much More Rain, Snow
– Western Washington and Oregon: Up to an additional 2 inches of rain can be expected through Christmas week, with locally higher amounts in the coastal ranges, and foothills of the Olympics and Cascades below snow level. Parts of western Washington remain waterlogged from recent rounds of heavy rainfall.
– Northern California: Widespread 3-inch-plus rainfall totals through Christmas, with 8-inch-plus rainfall likely in the coastal ranges and foothills of the northern and central Sierra, below snow level. Parts of the Bay Area could see over 5 inches of total rainfall, which would equal over a month’s worth of rainfall for San Francisco. Flooding is possible.
– Southern California: Most of the L.A. Basin from Santa Barbara to Orange County are expected to pick up at least 3 inches of total rain during the Christmas week storms. Locally higher amounts are likely in the Southland mountains below snow level. San Diego County may also pick up an inch or so of total rainfall.
– Mountain snow: Several feet of Sierra snow is possible, mainly with the pair of storms during Christmas week. Elsewhere, over a foot of additional snow is likely in parts of the Cascades and northern Rockies.

Additional Rainfall, Snowfall Totals
Impacts
This heavy rain in California will likely trigger flash flooding and landslides, particularly in hilly and mountainous terrain and areas recently burned by wildfires. Be prepared to evacuate immediately if you live near a burned area. Long-duration flood watches are now in effect for Northern California and much of the Central Valley.
Rain will also fall at higher elevations than usual in these atmospheric river events, potentially melting existing snowpack adding to the threat of flash and river flooding.
Strong winds with the Christmas week storms could down trees and knock out power, particularly in areas where the ground is soaked.
In western Washington and Oregon, this additional rain could prolong existing river flooding in some areas and could only increase the threat of landslides due to saturated ground.

Current Flood Alerts By The National Weather Service
Storm Recaps
To say it’s been a terrible stretch of weather in parts of the West has been an understatement.
First, record flooding hit parts of western Washington. Then, as flood-ravaged areas were recovering, a powerhouse windstorm blasted much of the Northwest and Rockies on Wednesday, with winds clocked up to 144 mph and over 160 reports of wind damage in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
Spokane, Washington, recorded a wind gust of 75 mph on Wednesday afternoon. That is the second-highest known wind gust for the city. The Spokane River is also raging much higher than normal due to all the recent precipitation.
In nearby Pullman, Washington, widespread damage to trees, power lines, and traffic signals was reported along with a wind gust up to 81 mph. At least one house reported significant damage due to a downed tree.
In Idaho, two kids were seriously injured Wednesday morning by falling trees while waiting for the bus in Twin Falls. Local media is also reporting that one man was killed in northern Idaho when a tree crashed into his home.
An atmospheric river earlier this week dumped 2 to 5 inches of rain in the Cascades and Olympics of Washington state, with an additional 2 to 5 inches on Tuesday. These are the same areas that are still recovering from 10 to 18 inches of rain during last week’s procession of atmospheric rivers.
This led to a pair of levee breaches in King County, one along the Green River in Tukwila, just east of SeaTac Airport, Monday, then early Tuesday morning in the town of Pacific, east of Tacoma.
(MORE: Evacuations Prompted From Washington Levee Breaches)
Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 9 years. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He’s a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.
Washington
18-year-old dies after shooting in Tenleytown
An 18-year-old who was shot and wounded in Northwest D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood on Thursday afternoon has died, authorities say.
Brady Flowers Jr., of Southwest, was the victim, police said in an update Saturday.
Flowers was found shot in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, behind the CVS store. Jackson-Reed High School and American University are nearby.
Flowers was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead a day later, police said.
Police said 10-15 teens were seen running after the gunshots.
An investigation is underway. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
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Washington
Governor Moore Continues “Delivering for Maryland” Tour in Washington County, Highlighting Transportation Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Early Childhood Education
Updated:
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today continued his statewide “Delivering for Maryland” tour with a series of engagements in Washington County, highlighting vital investments in local transportation infrastructure, manufacturing job growth, and early childhood education. The governor emphasized state contributions to modernize the Hagerstown Regional Airport, toured the state-of-the-art Hitachi Rail facility, and celebrated the opening of a new child care center in the South End of Hagerstown funded by the administration’s historic ENOUGH Initiative.
“From investing $1.5 million to update Hagerstown Regional Airport’s aging control tower to supporting 1,300 jobs at Hitachi Rail, the Moore-Miller administration is delivering for Hagerstown, Washington County, and Western Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “Through our administration’s ENOUGH Initiative partnerships and investments, we’ve tripled child care capacity in the South End of Hagerstown — because no parents should be forced to pick between staying in the workforce or securing quality care for their kids.”
The governor began the day at the Hagerstown Regional Airport, touring the Air Traffic Control Tower and airport grounds. During the visit, Governor Moore highlighted the State’s $1.5 million Fiscal Year 2027 investment to complete the design for a critical replacement of the airport’s aging air traffic control facility. As a primary airport in the Maryland Aviation System Plan, the Hagerstown Regional Airport is a vital economic engine for Washington County, supporting more than 1,800 jobs and generating over $140 million in local business revenue.
Following the airport tour, Governor Moore visited the Hitachi Rail STS facility alongside Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, Senator Mike McKay, Senator Paul Corderman and state transportation leaders. The governor toured the factory floor and rode a test train to observe the manufacturing process. Opened in September 2025 with the support of a $1.6 million state conditional loan, the 307,000-square-foot, carbon-neutral facility is a $100 million capital investment by Hitachi. The factory supports 1,300 jobs — including 460 newly created jobs — and is actively manufacturing railcars for both the Maryland Transit Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
“Hitachi Rail has built a cutting-edge model for advanced manufacturing here in Western Maryland which is focused on delivering clean, safe, efficient regional transportation across our state and the rest of the country,” said Congresswoman April McClain Delaney. “This facility is powered by Maryland’s second-to-none workforce and world-class innovation environment. I’m proud to work with Governor Moore and our public, private, and philanthropic partners to drive global investment that supports jobs and economic growth along our I-270 Tech Corridor.”
Governor Moore concluded the day at the Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center in the South End of Hagerstown, where he met with parents, children, and community leaders. During the visit, the Governor highlighted the administration’s ENOUGH Initiative, which provided critical support for the center’s opening. The new facility is a major win for the community, tripling local childcare capacity with 24 new slots and generating six new early childhood education jobs.
The Children’s Learning and Empowerment Center’s opening was accelerated by a $100,000 investment from San Mar Family & Community Services, the ENOUGH grantee in Hagerstown. ENOUGH grant funding was also supplemented by a $100,000 philanthropic contribution from the Bainum Family Foundation — a member of the ENOUGH Alliance — to complete necessary facility upgrades. The center’s completion underscores the strength of the ENOUGH Initiative’s public-private partnerships to deliver on community priorities and work towards ending child poverty.
Governor Moore’s visit to Washington County follows the third stop of his “Delivering for Maryland” tour in Montgomery County, where he marked a historic milestone by installing the final segment of rail for the Purple Line. This installation completes the 16.2-mile light rail corridor connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton, with passenger service expected to begin in late 2027. The governor also visited Max’s Best Ice Cream in Bethesda, a local business dedicated to creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the Best Buddies Jobs program.
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Washington
Washington shooting suspect seeks to bar DoJ officials from prosecution role
A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is seeking to disqualify top justice department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, and US attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the 25 April event at the Washington Hilton hotel when Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.
In a court filing late on Thursday, Allen’s attorneys argued that it created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.
“As this case proceeds closer to trial, the country and the world will continue to wonder – how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?” defense attorneys Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe wrote.
Ohm and Abe, who are assistant federal public defenders, suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted. They urged US district judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee assigned to Allen’s case, to disqualify Pirro, Blanche and possibly other justice department officials from direct involvement in the investigation and prosecution.
“Both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants. They were quickly evacuated. Shortly thereafter, they learned that law enforcement believed the target was certain administration officials,” Ohm and Abe wrote.
Pirro said her office would respond to the defense lawyers’ arguments in its own court filing.
“We will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence; and we will prosecute all such acts to the fullest extent of the law,” Pirro said in a statement.
Allen is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday on further charges in an indictment handed up Tuesday by a grand jury in Washington.
The charges include attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, who is a longtime friend of Pirro. Blanche served as a personal attorney for Trump before joining the justice department last year. Blanche, through a spokesperson, referred a request for comment to Pirro’s office. Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts.
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