The rains are upon us and despite perhaps a brief slowdown today, at times it will pick up tonight and Friday. As of Wednesday afternoon, forecast models had 4-8 inches of rain along the coast and Coast Range and 3-5 inches over us here in Clark County. Our foothills to the east could get 8-10 inches of rain. All this in less than a three-day period.
Some areas of the Coast Range and Cascades in Southwest Washington could get over a foot of rain before the water faucet shuts off later on Saturday. As you can see, if this materializes, expect streams and creeks to rise to bank-full.
We certainly need the rainfall, but not all at once. An easterly flow of air kept us cool Wednesday while the rains began along the coast. Some snow is forecast to fall heavy at times in the mountains before snow levels rise above 6,000 feet. We’ll see how that pans out.
Wednesday, the National Weather Service had high wind watches for the coast and flood watches just about everywhere else. Rivers are low but rapid rises could cause the Grays River to reach flood stage. Especially with upwards of 10 inches of rain expected in the Willapa Hills.
