Big Rainstorm Could 'Stall' Over Puget Sound Monday

SEATTLE, WA - The region is still cleaning up after Friday's powerful windstorm, but now we have to prepare for another weather threat coming Monday night. A major rainstorm could stall over the region, inundating waterways and causing local flooding.

The National Weather Service has issued a special hydrologic statement on the storm coming Monday. Not only will it drop plenty of rain in the lowlands, the mountains could get up to 5 inches of rain. All that rain will eventually flow down into local waterways.

"Another wet frontal system will arrive Monday night and Tuesday. The front will probably stall for a time over southwest Washington and 3 to 5 inches of rain is possible in the mountains. The snow level will rise to around 5000 feet. This amount of rain will increase the chance of some rivers, mainly in southwest Washington and in the Olympic Mountains, reaching flood stage," the hydrologic outlook says.

Monday's rain is just the beginning of a very wet pre-Christmas week. Here's the forecast from the NWS:

Monday Night: Rain. Low around 46. South southeast wind 13 to 18 mph becoming light south southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tuesday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Rain likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 14 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Rain. High near 52. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy.

Friday: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 46.

Image courtesy National Weather Service