It is truly nasty outside! Here's KOMO's latest: Four die as area rivers approach record flood levels
Rescue crews search for stranded residents near the intersection of 107th & Midvale in Seattle.
Story Published: Dec 2, 2007 at 2:24 PM PST
Story Updated: Dec 3, 2007 at 4:30 PM PST
By Scott Sistek & News Services
Updated Monday 4:25 p.m.
Current Headlines: I-5 is closed in both directions near Chehalis between exits 68 and 88 due to rising water. Coast Guard says two people died in Chehalis from flooding when a dike gave way. Two others died in from wind and flooding-related injuries in Grays Harbor County. Wind Advisory extended until 7 p.m. across most of Western Washington for gusts to 50-55 mph. Gov. Gregoire declares statewide emergency to deal with flooding and wind damage. Lewis County orders evacuations as Chehalis River will set record flood levels.
SEATTLE - The largest storm to strike the Northwest since last year claimed the lives of four people Monday afternoon as Governor Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency.
The storm severely battered the coast with hurricane force winds early Monday morning, and torrential rains sent rivers to record levels and turned several streets and yards in the Puget Sound area into impromptu lakes.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Tara Molle said two people were killed in flooding after a dike gave way near Chehalis, and a Grays Harbor County sheriff's official said two people died in southwest Washington after heavy flooding and high winds downed trees and knocked out power.
Detective Ed McGowan said one man died when a tree fell on him as he was trying to clear another downed tree; the other person died from an undetermined medical problem after power was lost.
The Coast Guard says it dispatched helicopters from Port Angeles and Astoria to responded to more than 90 people in distress because of Monday's flooding. About 80 of those were 20 miles west of Chehalis. Another 10 were trapped in their homes after a dike broke on the Tahuyu River near Hood Canal in Mason County.
Most of the Olympic Peninsula, Kitsap County and southwest Washington were hit particularly hard by the overnight storm. Flooding had cut off virtually all access to the coastal city of Aberdeen, Gregoire said.
Lewis County urged residents in flooded areas to evacuate. Shelters were opened in Chehalis, Boistfort, Winlock, Vader and Centralia.
The National Weather Service said 3 to 6 inches of rain had fallen in Western Washington, and warned that record flooding could occur in southwest Washington's Chehalis River basin. High tides near Aberdeen were expected to compound the problem at the river's lower reaches.
For the Washington and Oregon coast, it was wind that caused widespread damage. Wind speeds were clocked at 92 mph in Clallam Bay, 85 mph in Astoria and 81 mph in Hoquiam. An unofficial report out of Bay Center, Wash. (near Long Beach) had a measured gust of 119 mph. Some gusts along the Oregon Coast were over 120 mph.
Meanwhile, torrential rains fell across most of Western Washington, pushing rivers to historically high levels and causing several urban flooding problems across the Puget Sound area.
How Bad Will The Rivers Flood?
Flooding was expected to reach record severity along the Chehalis, Skokomish, and Elwha rivers. For the Chehalis, the river will flood places it's never flooded before near Centralia, Lewis County officials said.
Rivers expected to reach major flooding: Tolt, Snoqualmie, Bogachiel, Dungeness, Snohomish, Skagit (upgraded from minor).
Rivers expected to reach moderate flooding: Skykomish, Nooksack, Deschutes, Nisqually, Satsop, and Issaquah Creek.
Rivers expected to reach minor flooding: Cowlitz, Stillaguamish, and Puyallup.
The information is fast changing so the best advice is to go to and bookmark this link: forecast.weather.gov. ( You might need to scroll down. Some of Portland's flood warnings will be listed there too, and it's listed chronologically by update time.)
Rain was falling at historical levels as well. As of 3 p.m., Seattle had 3.47 inches of rain -- making it the second wettest day in Sea-Tac history, with more rain falling.
Latest News Tidbits
-- Seattle ties record high of 59 degrees today, set also in 1995. That's coming 36 hours after it was 32 degrees in the city.
-- I-5 is closed in both directions near Chehalis between exits 68 and 88 due to rising water. Trucks leaving Portland are advised to take the Columbia River route and then take White Pass and avoid I-5 through Lewis County all together.
-- It will continue to be blustery evening as south winds pick up in the wake of the front. The WIND ADVISORY for most of Western Washington has been extended to 7 p.m. We're expecting sustained winds of 25-35 mph with gusts as high as 50-55 mph in spots, then taper off to 20-30 mph after midnight and gradually but continually decrease from there.
-- Westbound I-90 reopened just after 3 o'clock Monday. It had been closed for most of Monday afternoon due to a avalanche.
-- Seattle's Nathan Hale High School closed due to flooding and won't open until Wednesday.
-- The King County road division reports as least five mudslides that closed roads.
-- The city of Bothell has declared an emergency and ordered the evacuation of the North Creek business park and the Northshore School District Administration Building.
-- "Warming stations" have been opened at the Bothell Library, Northshore Senior Center and Lake Forest Park Library.
-- I-5 north has one lane closed near Centralia. All lanes may be closed northbound near the city and possibly southbound. If so, trucks leaving Portland are advised to take the Columbia River route and then take White Pass and avoid I-5 through Lewis County all together. Local car traffic may be able to use side streets to get around.
-- Chehalis River warning upgraded to record severity near Centralia. The National Weather Service said heavy rain and lowland snow likely would cause the Chehalis River to surge into areas that had never flooded before.
Officials expected the river to crest at nearly 75 feet on Tuesday morning - about 10 feet above flood stage for that area. Shelters have been opened in Chehalis, Boistfort, Winlock, Vader and Centralia.
-- Stevens Pass remains closed. The governor's office reports 58 slides on Highway 2.
-- Hood Canal Bridge stuck open as of 11:15 a.m.
-- River data show the Skokomish River nearing all-time record flood stage. The previous record flow rate on the Skykomish near Potlatch was 13,800 cfs set in 1976. The latest reading on that same meter is now 27,000 cfs.
The previous flood-stage record was set in 1997 at 17.64 feet. We have now broken that at 18.1 feet and rising. Prepare for major flooding on a level never seen before along that river. Records have been kept on that river since 1929.
-- The Grays Harbor County Public Utility District reported 33,000 customers without electricity early Monday, and most major roads in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties were closed or blocked, including U.S. Highways 12 and 101. At one point early Monday nearly every road into Aberdeen was closed or blocked.
Two PUD workers trying to restore service were injured, one seriously in a 40-foot fall, when a windblown tree hit a lift truck bucket Sunday night, sheriff's Deputy David A. Pimentel said. Both were hospitalized, one with head injuries and the other with back injuries.
Rescuers used chain saws and dodged falling trees to clear the way for an ambulance to the scene, Sheriff Michael J. Whelan said.
"It was very dicey," Whelan said, adding that he had to be picked up by a patrol car after a falling tree smashed his truck in the driveway at his home.
"In 30 years of law enforcement, it's as bad as I've ever seen," Whelan said.
Repair crews were pulled off the roads and streets early Monday because of the continuing hazard, PUD officials said.
-- Doug Barker, managing editor of The Daily World in Aberdeen, said the newspaper had no electricity and only one reporter was able to get to work Monday morning. "We're powerless and trying to figure out how to print today," he said.
-- Sounder service between Everett and Seattle was canceled because of some mud on the tracks and will remain out of service until Wednesday. There are extra buses in Everett and Edmonds to help with commuters.
-- Mudslides halted north-south Amtrak passenger train service between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.
-- A mudslide blocked part of Westlake Avenue North in the 2400 block. Another mudslide blocked one lane of Highway 99 near 14th Avenue South, and a sinkhole ruptured the road at Golden Gardens Drive NW and NW 85th Street near Ballard.
-- Standing water was also a big problem on all area roadways. Seattle Public Utilities says it has 12 crews out cleaning drains and responding to calls for help. The utility says it has had about 150 customers asking for help with backed-up drains and ponding.
-- Crews are using sandbags along Thornton Creek where Meadowbrook Pond is overflowing.
-- The Lynnwood fire department says flooding has forced the evacuation of about five residents from an apartment building to the Lynnwood Recreation Center. Everett police says residents of a half dozen homes have been evacuated as a precaution because of an overflowing storm retention pond.
-- The Lewis County sheriff's office has activated emergency operation centers in Chehalis and Packwood to help respond to flooding. The sheriff's office says families have been evacuated in the Curtis and Pe Ell areas. Shelters have been opened at the Boistfort Lions Club and Winlock Community Center.
-- Average seas of 46 feet, with some waves recorded as high as 70 feet have been recorded by offshore buoys off the north Oregon Coast. In fact, the weather buoy off the Columbia Bar became ripped from its tether and is now adrift in the Pacific.
Road Closure Information:
Clallam County road closures
Grays Harbor County road closures
Jefferson County road closures
King County road closures
Kitsap County road closures
Lewis County road closures
Mason County road closures
Pierce County road closures
Skagit County road closures
Snohomish County road closures
Thurston County road closures
Whatcom County road closures
Storm Stats So Far:
Wind: Peak Gusts So Far
Bay City, Ore.: 129 mph (Unofficial)
Lincoln City, Ore.: 125 mph
Bay Center, Wash: 119 mph (Unofficial)
Cape Disappointment: 104 mph
Tillamook, Ore. (tide station): 100 mph
Florence, Ore: 91 mph
Clallam Bay: 90 mph (estimated)
Hurricane Ridge: 86 mph
Astoria, Ore.: 85 mph
Destruction Island: 84 mph (Sustained 65-73 for several hours)
Tatoosh Island: 82 mph
Hoquiam: 81 mph (Station went dark at 4 a.m.)
Cannon Beach, Ore: 80 mph
Tillamook, Ore (Airport): 74 mph
Ocean Park: 67 mph
Aberdeen: 62 mph
Long Beach: 60 mph
Forks: 58 mph
Bellingham: 53 mph
Shelton: 51 mph
Oak Harbor: 49 mph
Kelso: 41 mph
Olympia: 39 mph
Rain: Storm totals since Midnight through 4 p.m.
Shelton: 4.81" (gauge stopped reporting)
Seattle: 3.47"
Olympia: 2.82"
Everett: 2.70"
Tacoma: 1.96"
Sequim: 0.28". (The Olympic Rain Shadow is in full force today. Take a peek at the radar and note the big hole over the northeastern Olympic Peninsula.)
What's Next:
The main theme of where we go from here is: calm.
Some light showers will linger through the day Tuesday, but some dry time expected in between. Highs will be around 50.
By Tuesday night, the storm track drifts off to the south and we get exactly what the doctor ordered: A dry stretch.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are now looking dry and partly sunny(!) (aside from a few lingering showers Wednesday morning). We could see some morning frost as lows will drop to around 30, but not much concern. (Some ski resorts are starting to open -- looks like some great time to sneak up to the hills.)
Rain returns for next Sunday, and this one looks pretty run of the mill -- with rain in the lowlands and a good dose of mountain snow for the Cascades.
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