Torrential rains unleash widespread flooding, evacuations in Pacific Northwest

Rescue personnel evacuate Miguel Martinez and his sister, Epifani Martinez, who were stranded in their home in an area flooded by the Snohomish River, as an atmospheric river brings rain and flooding to the Pacific Northwest, in Snohomish, Washington, U.S., December 11, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder

SNOHOMISH, Washington, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Heavy rains drenching the Pacific Northwest triggered flooding on Thursday across much of the region from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, closing dozens of roads and prompting the evacuations of tens of thousands of people.

The intense downpours began earlier in the week, swept into the region by a storm system meteorologists call an atmospheric river, a vast airborne current of dense moisture funneled inland from the Pacific Ocean.