Additional rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are forecast through Friday. Over the last several weeks, heavy rain has led to saturated soils across much of western Washington. The rain and snow are helpful in mitigating drought conditions, but not when it’s too much in a short time. The cumulative effect of all that rain and snow will increase the threat for river flooding and avalanches. The West has hardly seen a break over the past several weeks after being pummeled by record-breaking rain and snow from Washington down to California. Too much snow and rain are leading to possible avalanches and landslides The river will begin slowly receding this afternoon but not fall below flood stage until Saturday afternoon,” the NWS office in Seattle said.Ībove 17.5 feet, the flooding impacts for this area include “moderate flooding, with deep and quick flood waters inundating some residential areas, many roads, and much of the farm land in the Skokomish Valley.” “The river is cresting this morning around 17.8 feet. Not only will this flood I-5 but the NWS says at the level “the river will flood most residential areas and roads and cover most of the farmland in the Skookumchuck River valley.”Īccording to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Seattle, several cities in Washington broke rainfall records Thursday, which likely triggered flooding.Ī flood warning is in effect for the Skokomish River at Potlatch until Saturday evening. The river is not forecast to be below flood stage until Monday morning.Īnother gauge near I-5 and on the Skookumchuck River just before it merges with the Chehalis River is forecast to reach major flooding at 192.58 feet, a level it has never reached before. The highest on record is 147.26 feet on December 4, 2007. The Chehalis River gauge near Grand Mound is forecast to crest at over 145 feet early Saturday morning, which is at major flood stage and would be the second-highest crest ever recorded. It is a primary interstate into Seattle from the south.Įarlier, a video from CNN affiliate KPTV showed a rescue boat arriving to help people stranded and standing on top of a vehicle along the flooded roadway. The state’s transportation department later announced crews were working to reopen that part of the roadway as flood waters receded. Roadway briefly closed due to rising waterĪ 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 was closed in both directions due to rising water from the Chehalis River, Trooper Will Finn with Washington State Patrol told CNN in a phone call. They began filling sandbags Friday evening to assist with the local flooding response, the national guard said on its official Facebook page. Washington National Guard members were also deployed to Centralia in Lewis County, in southwestern Washington state. The city will also ask for help from the National Guard with citizen welfare checks, food delivery, general snow cleanup, and private driveway snow removal, the release said. “Some microclimate pockets have now received up to 48 inches of snow in the last 48 hours, causing concern for life safety and structure stability in the community at large,” a news release from the city said. The mayor of Leavenworth, in central Washington state, declared a disaster in the city on Friday after record-breaking snowfall a day earlier, when the city totaled 36 inches of snow in less than 24 hours. RIczeHCsu1- WA Emergency Management January 6, 2022 More road closures on Friday are expected, the release added.Įvacuations issued by local officials for the Skokomish Valley due to flooding. The alert, issued Thursday, told people to “evacuate the area immediately or be prepared to shelter in place for at least 72 hours.” Residents living in the Skokomish Valley area of Mason County are under an evacuation order due to rising water and “imminent flooding,” the county said in a news release. Record rain and snow will cause floods, possible landslides, and higher avalanche risks across western Washington state, with more forecast to fall through the weekend.
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