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In Our View: Singing The Rain’s Praises

The Columbian
Published: December 8, 2015, 6:01am

Given our vast and insightful intuition, we’re guessing that your Monday soundtrack included a little Bob Dylan (“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall), some B.J. Thomas (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”), and plenty of Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain”).

And there are plenty of other memorable songs that have “rain” in the title, traversing all genres of music. That’s a good thing, because the people of Clark County will find inspiration to listen to all of them as the deluge that started Sunday is expected to continue for a few more days.

And a deluge it has been. In roughly the first 12 hours of Monday, more than 2 inches of rain were recorded at Portland International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Considering that the area averages about 6.77 inches of precipitation for a typical December, Monday provided quite a windfall of wetness — and a windfall of wind.

This, of course, is in keeping with the region’s reputation — a reputation that in many ways is undeserved. According to WeatherDB.com: “Portland has had an average rainfall of 39.14 inches over the last 30 years, which is 0.03 inches less than the average nationwide.” Yes, this part of the country receives less rain than average, at least according to somebody who tracks these things. (We apologize, but for many weather statistics, Clark County gets lumped in with Portland.)

Yet we digress. The fact is that Monday’s downpour had a serious impact. The morning commute slowed to a crawl because of standing water and poor visibility; Clark College’s campus in east Vancouver closed because of flooding; and many businesses and transit services were shut down.

The worst might be yet to come if the rain continues to soak the soil. Bill Burns of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries said: “Intense rainfall is a common landslide trigger. Landslides and debris flows are possible during this period of severe weather, so it’s important to be aware of the potential hazard.”

Caution is particularly urged on the roadways. Be patient in getting where you need to go, as the spray of standing water presents a danger to other drivers. Officials also warn motorists to not travel across flooded streets, as only a few inches of swift water can carry a vehicle.

Not that we are complaining about this, mind you. Washington was dubbed “The Evergreen State” by Seattle pioneer C.T. Conover in the late 1800s, and it is the rain that allows us to live up to that nickname. It also is the rain that can help the Northwest recover from the drought conditions that have plagued the region throughout 2015 — so long as that rain turns into snow when it hits the Cascade Range.

As the state Department of Ecology wrote last week: “Heavy rains and some snow in the mountains during the months of October and November have eased the drought in Western Washington, but economic losses from the extreme drought in Eastern Washington are still being calculated.” Farmers rely upon adequate soil moisture to grow their crops, and a deep winter snowpack and spring thaw is crucial for irrigation and wildlife habitat through the dry summer months.

Because of that, we come not to curse the rain but to praise it, despite the inconveniences that come along with it. Be wary of landslides if your home might be vulnerable; be careful on the roads; and consider adding some Eric Clapton (“Let It Rain”) to that soundtrack.

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