An unusually potent atmospheric river brought severe weather and nearly 5 trillion gallons of rain to Washington state over the past week, prompting Governor Bob Ferguson to activate the state's Emergency Operations Center.The powerful storm caused widespread flooding, significant road closures, power outages, and necessitated high-water rescues, with rivers like the Skagit and Snoqualmie exceeding major flood levels.Forecasters, including Matt Jeglum and Ryan Maue, predict continued critical conditions, record-breaking river crests, and an unsettled atmosphere until the Christmas week, fueled by unusually warm Pacific waters and a tropical cyclone influence from Indonesia that began two weeks ago.