A potent fall storm will take aim at Western Washington from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, bringing gusty wind, heavy rain, and a chance for thunderstorms.

An atmospheric river is forecast to bring gusty winds, heavy rain and possible flooding to parts of western Washington.

In the northern hemisphere, atmospheric rivers typically occur during winter and are often cited for strong storms in the West. According to NASA, they are the largest transport mechanisms of fresh water on Earth.

A pair of back-to-back storms were forecast to dump heavy snow and rain over parts of the Pacific Northwest, northern California and the Rockies this week, triggering winter storm and flood warnings.

FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Ilona McCauley has your latest western Washington weather forecast as a strong system moves in overnight!