Record flooding threatens Washington as more heavy rain pounds the Northwest

MOUNT VERNON, Washington — Residents packed up valuables and prepared to flee rising rivers in western Washington state on Wednesday as a new wave of heavy rain swept into a region still reeling from a storm that triggered rescues and road closures a day earlier.

In the Pacific Northwest, an atmospheric river was swelling rivers toward record levels, with major flooding expected in some areas including the Skagit River, in a major agricultural valley north of Seattle. Dozens of vehicles were backed up at a sandbag-filling station in the town of Mount Vernon as authorities warned all residents who live within the river's 100-year floodplain to be ready to evacuate.

In the Mount Rainier foothills southeast of Seattle, Pierce County sheriff's deputies conducted rescues at an RV park in