By Claire Rush
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Pacific Northwest residents braced for another round of heavy rain Wednesday after a powerful storm clobbered the region the day before, swelling rivers, closing roads and prompting high water rescues.
Rivers across the western part of Washington were on the rise again after a brief morning lull, the National Weather Service said in a social media post, warning people to travel with caution. Major or record flooding was expected along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers north of Seattle, and overtopping of levees was possible, the National Water Center said.
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Schools announced closings and delays over flooding concerns, the center said, and some roads were closed due to landslides. Widespread flooding of rivers and urban areas for parts of northern Oregon was also possible.
By early Wednesday, some areas in the Cascade mountain range in Washington were reporting “impressive” rain rates near or exceeding a half-inch (1.2 centimeters) per hour, the weather service posted on X. Paradise on Mount Rainier picked up 3.25 inches (8.2 centimeters) of rain in 10 hours, it said.
On Tuesday, a storm caused power outages, flooding and school closures in parts of Oregon and Washington. Drivers had to navigate debris slides and water that closed roads and submerged vehicles.
Fire officials northeast of Seattle said rescue crews used inflatable kayaks to pull people from stranded cars, and carried another person about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to safety after they were trapped in the woods by rising water.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a post on X on Tuesday night that the state’s Emergency Operations Center had moved to its highest activation level because of the rain and wind.
Major rivers are forecast to crest later this week
Forecasters warned that the worst river flooding was still to come. The Skagit River near the town of Concrete in northern Washington was forecast to rise more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) above major flooding levels by Thursday, which would break a record, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle, described the atmospheric river soaking the region as “a jet stream of moisture” stretching across the Pacific Ocean, with the nozzle pushing right along the coast of Oregon and Washington.”
The weather service forecast several days of heavy rainfall along the coast and more than a foot (30 centimeters) of new snow in the northern Rockies in northwestern Wyoming. Flood watches were in effect, with scattered flash flooding possible along the coast and into the Cascade Range through midweek.
Along Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland, firefighters conducted five rescues for people who tried to drive on flooded roads, including a semitruck driver, said Malachi Simper, spokesperson for Lewis County Fire Protection District #5. Authorities also rescued a family of six from their home in Chehalis, he said, adding that the road to the house was under about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water at the time. None of those rescued were injured, he said.
Authorities go door to door warning about flooding
Deputies in Washington were knocking on doors in certain neighborhoods to warn residents of imminent flooding, and evacuated a mobile home park along the Snohomish River. The city of Snohomish issued an emergency proclamation due to flooding, while in Auburn, south of Seattle, workers installed temporary flood control barriers along the White River.
On the Columbia River, farther south near the Oregon border, the city of Longview said it was opening a severe weather shelter Tuesday night.
Another storm system is expected to bring rain to the region starting Sunday, Rademacher said. “The pattern looks pretty unsettled going up to the holidays.”
In southeast Alaska, an arctic blast could bring wind chills as low as minus 50 degrees (minus 45.6 Celsius) in Skagway and minus 15 degrees (minus 26 Celsius) in the capital, Juneau, according to the weather service.
Severe weather also targets the Upper Midwest
Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm across the Upper Midwest on Tuesday brought freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow.
Weather forced some schools to close or move to virtual lessons.
Parts of central and northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin saw heavy snow, with a mix of winter weather across the Twin Cities metro and southwest Minnesota. St. Cloud, Minnesota, got nearly 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow by Wednesday morning, the weather service said.
The storm was heading into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. Parts of upstate New York near Lake Ontario, including the western Adirondacks, were under a winter storm warning, with heavy snow expected.
