The first of a series of powerful storms dumped heavy rain and swelled rivers in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, closing roads and prompting high water rescues. Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm tracking across the Upper Midwest on Tuesday was forecast to bring freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow.

Fire officials northeast of Seattle said crews conducted several rescues, using inflatable kayaks to pull people from stranded cars and carrying another person about a mile to safety after they were trapped in a wooded area by rising water.

Forecasters warned that the worst was still to come, with some major rivers expected to crest later in the week. The National Weather Service forecast several days of heavy rainfall along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in the northern Rockies

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