'Fire Hose' Of Rain Heading Toward Washington

SEATTLE, WA - It's going to be a wet, windy, and possibly landslide-y weekend around the region. Current forecasts show a "fire hose" of rain aimed at Washington, although it is unclear where the rain will hit hardest.

The heaviest rain will likely fall Sunday through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Right now, forecast models show a river of precipitation smashing into the Olympics and the North Cascades at the end of the weekend.

But that could change.

"[R]ainfall amounts were less than earlier advertised. Confidence in the forecast was low due to the major change in the forecast models. There is a chance that the models may go back to showing the firehose directed at Western Washington," NWS forecasters wrote in a hydrologic outlook.

Either way, it's going to be an extremely rainy weekend. There's also a higher risk of landslides as the rain further saturates the ground.

Here's the current forecast for Puget Sound this weekend from the NWS:

Friday: A chance of showers before 4pm, then a chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 42. South wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday Night: Rain, mainly after 10pm. Steady temperature around 43. East wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday: Rain before 10am, then a chance of showers between 10am and 4pm, then a chance of rain after 4pm. High near 51. Windy, with a south southwest wind 20 to 25 mph increasing to 26 to 31 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Rain, mainly after 10pm. Low around 45. South southwest wind around 8 mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: Rain, mainly before 10am. High near 56. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Image courtesy National Weather Service