Why Seattle didn't get slammed with rain

Driving the news: Cleanup started in some areas on Thursday, though a regional flood watch remains in effect through Friday.

• Duvall was cut off by rising water, and several small cities near the Canadian border in Whatcom County were evacuated on Thursday.

How it works: This week's storms blew in directly from the west, allowing Seattle to sit in a buffer zone created by the Olympic Mountains.

• That setup diverted the heaviest rain north, south and even up and over the city to the east, according to Johnny Berg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

By the numbers: Seattle got about 3.5 inches of rain between Sunday and Thursday, Berg told Axios, but totals were dramatically higher elsewhere.

• Quinault, on the Olympic Peninsula, recorded more than 19 inches, according to the CoCoRaHS network.

• The NWS tallied more than 14 inches at Paradise over the same period of time.
• East Skykomish, in King County, received 13 inches and Finney Creek, in Skagit, logged more than 12, per NWS.

What's next: A slight reprieve — and even a chance of sun — is expected on Saturday before another series of atmospheric rivers moves in next week, likely without this week's widespread flooding, said Berg.