Pacific Northwest Atmospheric River Finally Weakening, But Could Produce Record Flooding in Parts of Washington State

An atmospheric river is finally weakening after soaking the Northwest. Its heavy rain has already triggered landslides, and has pushed rivers into major flood stage, some nearing all-time records. Numerous areas of western Washington's higher terrain measured over 10 inches of rain from Dec. 8-11, including one report of over 17 inches in the Olympics near Quinault.

That included Mt. Rainier's Paradise Ranger Station, known more for heavy snowfall this time of year, where over 3 inches of rain fell in 10 hours Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Several landslides were reported in western Washington, including one on US 2 in Stevens Pass, a rockslide north-northwest of Lucerne coming off the Pioneer wildfire burn area, and a pair of landslides that twice shut down a stretch of Interstate 90 in the Washington Cascades near North Bend. One other landslide near Winton, Washington, sent a large tree through the windshield of a truck, injuring the driver.

On Wednesday, mountain winds gusted up to 108 mph at Chinook Pass near Crystal Mountain. Downed trees or power lines blocked numerous roads in western Chelan County. One home in Bremerton was heavily damaged after a tree fall, and state route 900 through Issaquah was closed Wednesday due to downed trees. An avalanche warning was also issued for the far northern Rockies due to the heavy, wet high elevation snow and rain, combined with strong winds.

We recognize the severe impact that current conditions are having on our customers, and we are committed to restoring service levels as quickly as possible. As a result of these weather issues, the ALG Client Service Team will send daily updates as we monitor the progress and track job level.

December 11, 2025

Volume Delays at Louisville, KY

Processing and Distribution Center

Customers may experience delays with mail and package volume originating and destinating at the Louisville P&DC.

Following up from our notice of conditions last week, the Louisville Processing & Distribution Center has made progress with getting caught up on the significant peak volumes and continues to implement actions that will improve conditions including extra transportation to delivery units, strategic re-routing, and increased leadership resources.  Impacts may last through the weekend.

As cited in the December 4, Industry Alert, customers are encouraged to enter originating mail and packages (Origin Entry) at the following alternate locations.

• For the Louisville, KY Processing & Distribution Center, alternate locations include:
  • Springdale, OH Annex, NASS Code 452AX
  • Memphis, TN Processing & Distribution Center, NASS Code 380

We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience and appreciate your patience as we are actively working to improve conditions.

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