Modern Meteorology is a Marvel

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I'm sure you've heard about the record flooding in the Northwest. The headline below is from today's Daily Mail.

What people may not realize is this extraordinary rain event (and snow in higher elevations) was first forecast nine days ago. There were followups in the interim (see below).
Note the lower forecast included mention of the 20" of rain equivalent.

It would have been impossible for this type of forecast to have been made, say, in 2010. Modern meteorology has made tremendous progress in forecasting extreme events. With this type of lead-time, local emergency management and other officials have time to plan so as to mitigate the effects of the disaster. 

Congratulations to weather science and, in this case, the National Weather Service in particular. 

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