PORT ANGELES — Area firefighters’ prayers for rain went largely unanswered Friday as storms that soaked the Seattle area missed much of the North Olympic Peninsula.
While a storm dumped nearly an inch of rain on Port Ludlow and two-thirds of an inch on Nordland, the amounts dropped quickly to the north and west.
At Port Townsend, rainfall totaled 0.39 inches in the 24 hours preceding noon Saturday, when the chance of showers disappeared. At Sequim, rainfall was 0.13 inches, and 0.02 inches was reported at Port Angeles’ Fairchild International Airport.
Higher elevations didn’t fare much better. Hurricane Ridge measured 0.07 inches, the same as Forks.
Paradise Fire
At the site of the Paradise Fire in Olympic National Park northeast of Quinault, a tenth of an inch had fallen in the 24-hour period, with partly to mostly sunny skies and partly cloudy nights forecast through next Friday. Similar weather is predicted from Forks to Port Townsend.
The clear skies above Pelton Peak meant helicopters could resume flying over the smoldering 2,440-acre Paradise Fire after wet weather canceled aerial operations Friday.
On Saturday, firefighters hoped to install portable pumps along Bob Creek and to continue suppressing the fire’s western flank.
National Forest fires
Meanwhile, two fires in Olympic National Forest that began Wednesday continued to burn, prompting closures of two trails and a U.S. Forest Service road.
Their status:
■ The Gold Fire, about 6 miles northwest of Quilcene and 10 miles south of Blyn, grew to 10 acres Saturday morning.
Fire managers closed the Little Quilcene Trail from its trailhead to the Tubal Cain Trailhead, and closed the Mount Townsend Trail from the top of Mount Townsend to the Little Quilcene Trail.
They also closed Forest Service Road 2820/2920-100, all until further notice.
■ The Cabin Creek Fire, 3 miles northeast of Lena Lake and the Hamma Hamma campgrounds, covered 8 acres by midday Saturday in rugged and inaccessible terrain. Smoke jumpers continued to fight it.
The Zion Fire on Mount Zion, which began Wednesday about 9 miles northwest of Quilcene, was contained by Thursday and was extinguished as of Saturday.
All three fires were caused by lightning, fire officials said.
The Seattle area that received rain Friday also saw an electrical show, as the National Weather service reported 650 lightning strikes across Western Washington. No new strikes had been reported as of noon Saturday.
On Friday evening, heavy rain pooled in roadways and diverted several flights to Seattle as urban and small-stream flood advisories were issued for Bremerton, Whidbey Island and the east side of Puget Sound.