Heavy rains bring soggy mess

10:08 PM PST on Tuesday, January 18, 2005

From KING 5 Staff and Wire Reports

SEATTLE – Blame it on the Pineapple Express.

Record rains, along with wind, ice, sleet and snow, buffeted Washington, bringing ice storms to much of the Cascades and Eastern Washington and a serious flood threat to at least 10 rivers in the western half of the state.

Forecasters say flooding waters are likely to cover roads, farmlands and rise into houses in some areas through Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has dropped flood warnings for the Bogachiel, Carbon, Deschutes, Nooksack and Satsop rivers.

But warnings remain in effect for the Chehalis, Cowlitz, Puyallup, Skagit, Skokomish, Skookumchuck, Skykmoish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Tolt rivers, along with portions of the Yakima river.

Forecasters predict the Skagit River will cause near-record flooding from Sedro Woolley through Mount Vernon.

Occasionally heavy rain was forecast through Thursday west of the Cascade Range, as much as 10 inches total for the storm in some areas, and more downpours could come Friday night and Saturday.

In addition to flooding, the several inches of rain melted much of the snowpack in the central Cascade mountains. The Mount Baker, Stevens Pass and The Summit at Snoqualmie ski areas all closed Tuesday, and Crystal Mountain was limited to two operating chair lifts.

To check when rivers are expected to hit flood stage,   click here.

Areas expected to flood

Forecasters say flooding waters are likely to cover roads, farmlands and rise into houses in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday. Residents were advised to brace for flooded roads that may be impassable by late Tuesday.

Forecasters say the Skagit will cause near-record flooding from Sedro Woolley through Mount Vernon. The National Weather Service says the Snoqualmie River will flood some fields and residential areas at Carnation and Duvall.

Forecasters say the Skykomish will flood roads, farms and residential area near Monroe. And the Stillaguamish threatens residential areas near Silvana and Stanwood.

Major flooding appeared likely along the lower Skagit and Snohomish rivers, and forecasters warned that levees could fail if waters rise much higher than predicted as of Tuesday morning.

The Pineapple Express

The storm was spawned by a typical Pacific Northwest winter weather pattern known as a “Pineapple Express” because it circulates warm, wet air from north of Hawaii into the region.

“That band of very moist air is going to continue to pump moisture in here pretty much all the way through the middle part of Thursday before we start to see things dry out,” said KING 5 meteorologist Rich Marriott. “Looks like Friday may be our driest and best looking day of the coming week.”

Skagit County shelter

The American Red Cross Mount Baker Chapter has opened a shelter to provide safe refuge for 50 to 75 people who have chosen to leave their homes before they find themselves forced to evacuate. The shelter is located at Hamilton Baptist Church, 797 Cemetery Road, Hamilton.

Another shelters has opened in Concrete, although no serious problems have been reported so far.

Rain, landslides close highways

Heavy rain and melting snow caused a mess on Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass, where standing water on the roadway caused the stretch of I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum to shut down for 9 hours Tuesday morning. As much as three feet of water on the road were recorded in parts of I-90 between Milepost 34 to Milepost 106.

By Ben Sharpe

Dr. Virginia Lee paddles a kayak to get across a flooded street in Snoqualmie so she can get to work in Issaquah.

The state's main east-west route across the Cascade Range, which was also closed Monday morning due to icy roads, re-opened in both directions Tuesday morning without any serious accidents.

The state Transportation Department said flooding rivers or landslides have closed or threaten other roads in Western Washington.

Highway 11, also known as Chuckanut Drive, remains closed Tuesday day by a rockslide near the Whatcom-Skagit line. Crews have to haul some 40 to 50 tons of debris to open the roadway.

The Mount Baker Highway is limited to one lane near the ski area because of a plugged culvert.

Highway 4 is closed by a mudslide between Skamokawa and Cathlamet but crews expect to have one lane reopened this afternoon.

Highway 131 is closed by flooding near Randle.

In Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, a landslide dumped dirt and brush on West Galer Street Monday, temporarily cutting off road access to four houses. Cleanup crews will try to clear up the mudslide Tuesday. No damage or injuries were reported.

“When Mother Nature decides to let loose, I guess there’s not too much we can do about it,” homeowner Jennifer Pecknold said.

The Vancouver area and Vancouver Island in neighboring British Columbia also were hard hit, with numerous road closures reported in Vancouver and the suburbs of Burnaby, Langley and Surrey.

“We’re not floating away just yet,” said Ted Townsend, a spokesman in Richmond, British Columbia, home of Vancouver International Airport, “but the flooding is widespread throughout the community.”

By Pat Saad

A Silvana farm is surrounded by river.

Eastern Washington

In Spokane and across much of Eastern Washington and north Idaho, rain met freezing temperatures, creating a layer of ice. An ice storm warning was canceled Tuesday for the eastern slopes of the Cascades.

The State Patrol responded to 186 crashes Monday in Whitman, Adams, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Stevens and Spokane counties. Only minor injuries were reported “but lots of damage to guardrails and Jersey barriers,” Trooper Jim Hays said.

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies responded to about 50 crashes and Spokane police responded to more than 20.

Oregon

The snowpack in the Willamette River basin is alarmingly low for this time of year, and the situation is not likely to improve any time soon as temperatures around the region hit record highs for January.

According to the National Resources Conservation Service, the snowpack for the basin on Tuesday morning was at only 42 percent of the 30-year average.

In Portland, the temperature reached 64 degrees by late afternoon Tuesday - beating out the all-time January high of 63 degrees, reached in 1986.

Further south, in Roseburg, the temperature hit a balmy 70 degrees.

The unseasonably warm weather was caused by the movement of warm, wet air in from the Hawaiian islands, meteorologists said.

The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings in Clatsop and Tillamook counties.

Temperatures were in the upper 50s Tuesday with a high of 61 degrees. It was raining heavily in many places.

The Nehalem River continued to rise through the morning hours. Minor flooding of low-lying farmland was expected. And the Wilson River near Tillamook already has minor flooding occurring. The river crested at about 13 feet at 2 Tuesday morning.

The Wilson is forecast to fall below flood stage around 8 a.m this morning and continue falling for the next of couple days. When it crests above 12 feet, minor flooding of low lying dairy and pasture land north of Tillamook can be expected.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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