Update: Weather Service issues flood watch for North Olympic Peninsula lowlands
Published 12:01 am Thursday, December 9, 2010
As Forks nears the 10-foot rainfall total for the year (it was 118.09 inches as of Wednesday afternoon), the National Weather Service has issued this flood watch for North Olympic Peninsula lowlands as well as much of Western Washington:
411 PM PST THU DEC 9 2010
…FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FROM SATURDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON…
.HEAVY RAIN IS COMING TO WESTERN WASHINGTON LATER THIS WEEKEND.
WEATHER MODELS DIFFER IN THE DETAILS BUT IS IS LIKELY THAT HEAVY
RAIN WILL BEGIN SATURDAY NIGHT…CONTINUE SUNDAY…AND END MONDAY.
THE DURATION AND EXACT LOCATION OF THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS UNCERTAIN.
HOWEVER HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY…AND IN AMOUNTS LIKELY TO CAUSE
FLOODING ON AT LEAST SOME RIVERS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A
* FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WA AND NORTHWEST WASHINGTON…
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN WA…ADMIRALTY INLET AREA…
CENTRAL COAST…EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS…EASTERN STRAIT OF
JUAN DE FUCA…EVERETT AND VICINITY…HOOD CANAL AREA…LOWER
CHEHALIS VALLEY AREA…NORTH COAST…OLYMPICS…
SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA…SOUTHWEST INTERIOR…TACOMA AREA…
WEST SLOPES CENTRAL CASCADES AND PASSES…WEST SLOPES NORTHERN
CASCADES AND PASSES…WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY…WESTERN STRAIT
OF JUAN DE FUCA AND WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY. IN NORTHWEST
WASHINGTON…SAN JUAN COUNTY.
* FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON
* A WARM AND MOIST WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN
WASHINGTON SATURDAY NIGHT. HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL AT TIMES. AT
THIS TIME IT IS UNCERTAIN EXACTLY HOW MUCH RAIN WILL FALL AND
WHAT PLACES WILL GET THE MOST RAIN. VARIOUS WEATHER MODELS BRING
HEAVY RAIN TO DIFFERENT PLACES. THEREFORE THE FLOOD WATCH IS FOR
EVERY COUNTY IN WESTERN WASHINGTON.
* SOME RIVERS SEEM CERTAIN TO FLOOD…INCLUDING THE SKOKOMISH IN
MASON COUNTY…THE TOLT IN KING COUNTY…AND THE PUYALLUP RIVER
NEAR ORTING IN PIERCE COUNTY. THE FLOOD POTENTIAL ON OTHER
RIVERS DEPENDS ON WHERE EXACTLY THE HEAVIEST RAIN FALLS.
* RIVERS FACING AT LEAST A MODERATE THREAT OF FLOODING INCLUDE THE
SATSOP AND CHEHALIS RIVERS IN LEWIS AND GRAYS HARBOR COUNTIES…
THE NOOKSACK SKAGIT STILLAGUAMISH AND SNOQUALMIE RIVERS FLOWING
OFF THE NORTH CASCADES…AND THE DESCHUTES COWLITZ AND
SKOOKUMCHUCK FLOWING OFF THE CENTRAL CASCADES.
* EVEN SMALL STREAMS COULD OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS IF RAIN IS HEAVY
ENOUGH. URBAN FLOODING WHERE DRAINAGE IS POOR IS ALSO A
POSSIBILITY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLOOD WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR FLOODING BUT
FLOODING IS NOT IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. MONITOR THE LATEST
FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND BE READY TO ACT
QUICKLY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
