Evacuations in Washington state as record-setting floods hit

Thousands of people have been evacuated in the Unites States' Pacific Northwest region after river levels reached record-breaking highs.

Multiple flood alerts were in place as an atmospheric river - evaporated water carried by the wind - was forecasted to dump heavy rain over the region on Wednesday, 10 December.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson activated the State Emergency Operations Center at Level 1, its highest response level, on Tuesday, 9 December, due to ongoing rain and wind.

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued warnings for "significant" flooding across the Pacific Northwest throughout the week.