Up-to-date local forecast:
http://forecast.weather.gov
Rain or no rain, Saturday was two weeks before Christmas.
Bruce Wiseman of The Tree Wiseman’s U-cut tree farm said business was better than he had anticipated, given the soaking conditions. He said he spoke with the owner of another tree farm, who said he also had a surprising number of customers willing to kneel in the mud and start sawing.
“We saw lots of people with umbrellas,” Wiseman said. “They figure they are going to have to get a tree, and it’s now or never.”
The farm, 26500 N.E. 53rd Ave. in Ridgefield, opens again for business at 8 a.m. today.
If you plan to buy a tree today, go in the morning, said Andy Bryant, hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Portland.
Bryant said conditions should be dry this morning, with rain returning in the mid-afternoon.
Between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1.15 inches of rain fell as measured at Pearson Air Field in Vancouver. From tonight through Monday morning, another inch could fall, he said.
A dispatcher for the Washington State Patrol said Saturday that troopers had been busy responding to accidents, but no major injuries were reported.
A noninjury accident on Interstate 5 between the 39th and 78th Street exits in Vancouver, as well as an accident on the Interstate 5 bridge, slowed northbound traffic Saturday afternoon.
The service issued a flood watch Saturday, to remain in effect through Monday for Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon. A watch is an advisory to keep an eye on forecasts and, if you’re in a vulnerable area, be ready to act if the watch becomes a warning.
The flood watch includes parts of Vancouver, Interstate 5 in Cowlitz County and the western Columbia River Gorge. The rivers of most concern include the Grays River in Wahkiakum County and the Cowlitz River, according to the weather service.
Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
