3 atmospheric rivers are on the way to Western Washington. Here's how much rain is expected

Enjoy the dry break Wednesday, because another atmospheric river is set to dump several inches of rain on Western Washington even as some parts of the state are still recovering from last week's major flood event. 

The weather equivalent of a fire hose, an atmospheric river is a concentrated corridor of moisture that shoots wetness into an area for an extended period of time. The first round of rain is set to arrive on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle, making for a wet Thanksgiving.

Seattle is currently poised to receive up to an inch of rain through Friday morning while areas farther south like Tacoma and Olympia could see 1.5 inches of rain over the same period. And luckily for drivers heading over the mountain passes, snow levels are expected to rise to 6,000 to 8,000 feet.

"That frontal system will sag south through Western Washington Thursday and then dissipate Friday morning," wrote NWS in their Wednesday forecast discussion. "The snow level will rise so drivers crossing the mountains on Thanksgiving will have rain."

River flooding is also expected area-wide on Thursday, and waters won't begin receding until the weekend. A flood watch is currently in effect for the Skokomish River in Mason County. 

The second storm system will arrive Saturday with the heaviest rain expected in the Olympic and Cascades. However, temperatures will not drop enough to result in any mountain snow with lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s.

"Periods of rain in the mountains that will keep pressure on the rivers and a lack of cold air will continue to vex our skiers," NWS wrote.

Rain will gradually diminish Sunday into Monday before the third — and potentially strongest — system moves over the region on Tuesday. The cumulative impacts of the three systems are most likely to be felt Tuesday, and widespread river flooding is also likely.

Over the course of the three systems, Seattle is set to be soaked with up to an inch and a half of rain while areas farther north in Whatcom County are expected to see closer to three inches of rain through Tuesday.