Get ready to get wet.
The storm moving through Clark County is expected to drop another 2 to 4 inches of rain this afternoon and evening, with the heaviest rainfall coming just in time for the drive home, said Beth Burgess, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Portland.
“A lot of the heavy rain might be occurring during commute time this evening,” she said. “You might need a little longer.”
The rain will continue through the evening and should taper off around 11 p.m. or midnight, Burgess said.
The heavier rain will be accompanied by stronger winds. Wind gusts in the metro area are expected to reach 45 mph with sustained winds around 25 to 30 mph, she said.
The brunt of the storm will hit Clark County today. By Tuesday, the rain will be reduced to drizzle and the strong winds to breezes. By Tuesday night, the rain may pick up again, dropping another 1/2 to 1 inch of rain, Burgess said.
Wet, windy weather caused minor problems Monday morning for residents across Clark County.
About 360 people in Vancouver were without power for 20 minutes Monday morning after a tree fell on a power line along Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard. The outage was reported just after 9:45 a.m. near the intersection of Mill Plain and Southeast 120th Avenue, according to the Clark Public Utilities Outages Map.
Utilities spokeswoman Erica Erland said power was restored shortly after 10 a.m.
Motorists were spared major problems on Clark County highways Monday morning. Washington State Patrol spokesman Will Finn said the agency didn’t respond to any crashes during the morning commute. The only weather-related problem was on the exit from Interstate 5 to Dike Road in Woodland where there was standing water on the off-ramp, he said.
Residents in some other areas of Clark County are encountering standing water. A plugged culvert in the 6800 block of Cedar Creek Road closed one lane of traffic about 10 a.m.
“We’ve had crews out all morning, and we will have crews out all day,” said Jeff Mize of Clark County Public Works. “Obviously there will be some standing water, and we remind people to drive safely.”
In Camas, city officials are preparing for weather-related calls as conditions worsen.
“It’s picking up, but we haven’t had any call-outs,” said Eric Levison, city public works director.
This story will be updated.
