Seattle experienced dramatically less rainfall and had only a few localized road floods. That's due to the city's unique geographic landscape.

Seattle is facing severe weather with flood watches, landslide risks, and strong winds as per the National Weather Service.

Thousands of people are without power in Washington and a flood watch is in effect for Seattle on Wednesday as the worst of the heavy rain and gusty winds smack the state today. FOX Weather Correspond

Powerful wind gusts knocked out power to more than 500,000 customers across Washington and Oregon early Wednesday, as the latest atmospheric river intensified over the flood-devastated Pacific Northwest.

After this latest rain, forecasters at the Weather Service’s Seattle office said that a combination of dry periods and snow piling up in the mountains would finally allow rivers to recede, signaling what they called a “long-awaited return to some semblance of normalcy for December.”

Tuesday and Wednesday will bring rising rivers, gusty winds, and significant mountain snow to Washington state.

Elevated rivers and flood risk could persist until at least late this month, according to the National Weather Service. Wind and flood watches and warnings are expected in much of the Northwest for the next couple of days as storms bring rain, heavy mountain snow and high winds.

A man who drove past warning signs was found dead early Tuesday in a car submerged in floodwaters near Seattle, officials said, in the first reported death following a week of heavy rain and flooding in the region.