Northwest US flooding rainstorms to take a break, but not for long as pineapple express looms
Western Washington will get a much-needed break from torrential rain into this weekend. However, more rain is lurking over the Pacific and storms will return with a dreaded pineapple express forecast for next week.
Flooding lingers across the northwestern United States. AccuWeather’s Bernie Rayno says although the weekend is expected to be dry, more rain is expected to soak the region next week.
A series of storms with atmospheric rivers has delivered months' worth of rain in a matter of days, unleashing historic flooding and damaging mudslides in portions of western Washington. A break from the heavy rain has begun, but another firehose of rain will douse the region next week. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that flooding may expand farther south into Oregon and California.
This image of a mudslide along Interstate 90 in King County, Washington, was captured on Dec. 10, 2025. (Photo by Trooper Rick Johnson)
As much as a foot and a half of rain earlier this week pushed multiple rivers to major flood stage and even record high levels. As the rain tapers off and the runoff eases, rivers will recede quickly from Friday to Saturday.
The main storm track has eased up with rain tapering to showers and areas of drizzle over much of Washington as of Thursday afternoon. From Friday to Sunday, storms will track farther north and across British Columbia, providing a brief respite from the incredibly wet weather.
The tails of the storms will bring some showers to Washington, northern Idaho and northern Oregon. While this will not be the type of rainfall that significantly exacerbates flooding problems, the saturated state of the ground has left some hillsides top-heavy and unstable. Mudslides and other debris flows will remain a possibility through the weekend.
Although a two-to-three-day break will follow this week's storms, a resumption of heavy rain can rapidly escalate to major flooding and a high risk of mudslides early next week.
"There is an indication that a new atmospheric river will develop and extend all the way from near Hawaii to the coastal areas of the Northwest on Monday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said. "This setup is sometimes referred to as the Pineapple Express."
The period of heaviest rain may last for only a day or two in portions of Washington, before shifting slowly to the south into Oregon and then northern California.
However, like the rain this past week in western Washington, the rain is likely to be heavy enough to expand the flooding and mudslide risk farther south.
The southward press of colder air is expected to begin next week. Snow levels are likely to dip to and perhaps below pass levels in Washington and Oregon. This will lead to more wintry conditions, in addition to the ongoing risk of flooding and mudslides in the Cascades and foothills.
The stormy conditions from Washington to Northern and Central California are likely to persist from next week to the days leading up to Christmas.
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