All articles tagged with #pacific northwest
Forecasters warn that strong to severe thunderstorms are possible today east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, bringing potential hazards such as damaging winds, large hail, and a tornado risk, with the Columbia River Gorge, The Dalles, Hood River, Bend, and Pendleton among the areas watching for storm development.
WSU researchers found that nearly 30% of Palouse-region rodents (deer mice, voles, and chipmunks) carried Sin Nombre hantavirus at some point, with about 10% actively infected, suggesting higher rodent-to-human exposure risk in the Pacific Northwest; SNV is the US hantavirus most linked to disease, transmitted mainly via contaminated rodent excretions, not person-to-person. The work, based on 2023 fieldwork in WA and Idaho and published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, notes occasional cross-species transmission among rodents and that human infections may be underrecognized.
A Washington State University-led study in the Palouse region (Washington and Idaho) found Sin Nombre hantavirus in about 30% of tested rodents, with roughly 10% actively infected, suggesting the virus is more widespread in Northwest wildlife than previously known. The team also produced the first full genome sequences of Northwest Sin Nombre strains to aid surveillance, while human infections remain rare; health officials urge precautions when cleaning areas with rodent contamination and researchers hope to expand exposure assessments.
Dozens of people across Washington, British Columbia, and Oregon reported a bright fireball streaking across the night sky, prompting questions about whether it was a meteor or space debris; videos circulated on social media as viewers debated what they saw, with KOMO News covering the sightings and referencing astronomical phenomena.
Mail-in ballots have been the norm in Oregon and Washington for decades, but President Trump’s attacks and related federal moves—USPS funding cuts, executive orders, and court challenges—have turned a once-bipartisan system into a partisan battleground, prompting lawsuits and warnings from election officials who fear eroding public trust in a process those states helped pioneer.
NASA-ISRO’s NISAR satellite captured cloud-covered imagery of the Pacific Northwest on Nov. 10, 2025 using L-band radar to see through clouds, highlighting Seattle, Portland, Mount Rainier, and Mount Saint Helens. With dual SAR instruments and a large 39-foot antenna, NISAR revisits areas roughly every 12 days to monitor changes in forests, wetlands, urban areas, and infrastructure, and to detect subtle ground movements associated with natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and floods. The data aid resource management, hazard monitoring, and environmental decision‑making.
A bright green fireball was captured on a dashcam over southwestern Washington near Portland, lighting up the dawn sky as a meteor seen across the Pacific Northwest. The green color is typically from magnesium (nickel can contribute), and NASA notes related fireball sightings across multiple states and Ontario, with a larger Ohio meteor fragmenting and possibly reaching the ground. With more dashboard and doorbell cameras, scientists may deduce trajectory, though ground hits from fireballs are rare.
A dashcam video, though unplayable due to a technical error, appears to show a meteor exploding into a green fireball over parts of the Pacific Northwest, days after a suspected meteorite crashed through the roof of a home in Texas.
Amtrak is rolling out the Airo fleet—a $8 billion upgrade of 83 Siemens trains—to modernize aging cars, beginning this summer on the Cascades route in the Pacific Northwest and later expanding to the Northeast; the redesigned interior includes larger windows, brighter lighting, more outlets, and accessibility upgrades, with seats that slide forward instead of reclining, a change that has drawn mixed reviews; the Cascades trains will seat up to 300 (vs about 168 today) and run up to 125 mph, aided by power-switching locomotives; funding includes federal Infrastructure Act money, and Amtrak plans more routes as ridership hit 34.5 million in 2025.
A levee breach in Tukwila, Washington, has caused a flash flood warning and evacuation in the Seattle suburbs, impacting over 45,000 residents as water levels rise due to ongoing atmospheric rivers and heavy rain, with emergency responses underway and flood watches in effect for the region.
A severe winter weather pattern is affecting the US, with cold temperatures across the East and heavy rain in the Pacific Northwest, raising flood concerns and bringing widespread cold alerts.
A weekend storm brought heavy snow to the Northeast and frigid temperatures across the Midwest and East Coast, causing airport delays and hazardous road conditions, while the Pacific Northwest faces more rain after recent flooding.
The Pacific Northwest is experiencing an influx of climate migrants fleeing environmental risks like droughts, wildfires, and flooding in other regions, prompting experts to advise the area to prepare for population growth and increased climate resilience, emphasizing community strength as a key factor.
A new craft flour mill on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon is providing economic hope for local wheat farmers and Native communities by creating jobs and establishing a local market for wheat, helping to diversify an economy heavily reliant on exports and traditional industries amid challenging trade conditions.
Thieves stole over $1 million worth of rare 10-year-old Garryana whiskey from Westland Distillery in Washington, involving a sophisticated fraud scheme. The stolen bottles are highly recognizable and rare, making resale difficult, and the distillery is cooperating with authorities while focusing on customer service. The incident highlights the challenges of secondary market sales and the value of provenance for craft spirits.