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NWS: Heavy rain, minor flooding may hit Clark County early next week

By Jerzy Shedlock, Columbian Breaking News Reporter
Published: December 14, 2018, 8:22am

A series of storms from the Gulf of Alaska will combine with an atmospheric river event to bring heavy rain and the chance of minor flooding to Southwest Washington early next week.

The National Weather Service in Portland says flooding is possible Tuesday and Wednesday, according to an NWS hydrologic outlook and forecast discussion released Friday.

“While the details are uncertain, there is potential for 2 to 5 inches of rain in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington Monday night and Tuesday,” the weather service said.

The heaviest amounts of precipitation will hit the Willapa Hills, the North Oregon Coast Range, and the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains.

Sharp rises are likely on rivers draining the three listed areas, and minor flooding is possible.

The timing and location of the deluge of wet weather is uncertain. The weather service said it will issue watches and warnings for specific rivers and areas if the conditions warrant.

Patchy fog followed by a 30 percent chance of rain is forecasted for Saturday in Vancouver. Rain remains in the city’s forecast until Thursday.

Elsewhere in the two states on Friday, strong winds caused property damage. The Associated Press reported that thousands across Washington and Oregon were without power due to high winds that toppled trees and power lines.

The weather service issued high-wind warnings for Oregon and Washington’s Pacific Coast and Washington’s northern interior with wind advisories for areas inland.

West of Port Angeles, downed trees and power lines caused the indefinite closure of 22 miles of state Route 112. Utility companies said thousands of customers lost power around the northern Olympic Peninsula.

Olympic National Park officials closed the visitor center in Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge Road and the Hoh Visitor Center.

In Oregon, Pacific Power officials said inclement weather was causing outages from Astoria to Cave Junction.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials closed Interstate 84 in Eastern Oregon between Pendleton and La Grande after 90 mph winds were reported and at least one truck appeared to have blown over on the freeway.

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Columbian Breaking News Reporter