The National Weather Service on Thursday canceled a flood watch for the Columbia River as rivers and creeks started to crest following days of persistent rainfall.
The Columbia River was at 15.22 feet shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday downstream from the Interstate 5 Bridge.
That’s less than the river’s 16-foot flood stage but still high enough to cause minor flooding in low-lying areas.
“We are keeping our eye on it,” said David Bishop, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. “The rivers will continue to run high and fast, even without more rain.”
Information
Flood advisory - be aware: A flood advisory is issued when flooding is not expected to be significant enough to justify issuing a flood warning. However, flooding could threaten life and property if residents do not exercise sufficient caution.
Flood watch - be prepared: A flood watch is issued when conditions could lead to flooding. Residents should be prepared for flooding that may occur, including being ready to evacuate quickly.
Flood warning - take action: A flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or already has started.
Source: National Weather Service
During Clark County’s last big flood, in February 1996, the Columbia River crested at 27.2 feet, the sixth highest on record. The river’s all-time crest was 33.6 feet during the Great Flood of 1894.
A little more than an inch of rain has fallen on the Portland-Vancouver area over a four-day period that started Sunday.
Bishop said the National Weather Service is not expecting significant flooding on other rivers and creeks in Southwest Washington.
“It looks like everything is going to be below flood stage,” he said. “On some of the small rivers and tributaries that we don’t have sensors on, it’s not out of the question for them to see elevated levels.”
Even if rivers don’t reach flood stage, there could be logs and other debris that create boating hazards.
“It’s probably not a good time to be out on the river,” he said.
A tiny section of the Waterfront Renaissance Trail upstream from the I-5 Bridge had standing water Thursday morning.
Portion of trail closed
Doug Keller, parks maintenance superintendent for Clark County Public Works, said at 1 p.m. Thursday that none of the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail had flooded, but water was getting close at the trail’s west end.
Clark County has closed the portion of the trail along the Columbia River in Capt. William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach in Washougal because of rising water, said Terry Riggs, a parks crew chief with the county.
Several areas in Oregon’s south and central Willamette Valley have been hit hard by heavy rains and rising river levels, which prompted evacuations east of Cottage Grove, Ore., and closures on Oregon Highway 34 west of Corvallis, Ore.
Bishop said high flows to the south aren’t expected to send a torrent of water down the Willamette River to the Portland-Vancouver area.
“It kind of peters out,” he said. “One thing to remember, especially along the Willamette River, there are a lot of hydrological dams. The Corps of Engineers is doing an outstanding job trying to mitigate those flood impacts.”
