BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency on Monday after flooding and landslides closed the West Coast’s main north-south highway, displaced hundreds of people and knocked out power across the region.
The extreme weather was caused by an atmospheric river — a huge plume of moisture extending over the Pacific and into Washington and Oregon.Heavy rain overwhelmed the Skagit River and sent floodwater gushing through northern Washington on Nov.