UPDATE: Weather Service’s flood watch under way on North Olympic Peninsula lowlands
Published 12:01 am Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The National Weather Service bulletin, updated today, on the warm rains coming to the North Olympic Peninsula as well as all of Western Washington:
…A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN
TO THE COAST AND MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY THROUGH AT
LEAST THURSDAY MORNING…
…FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
FRIDAY AFTERNOON…
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES …CLALLAM…JEFFERSON…SKAGIT… WHATCOM…KING…
LEWIS… MASON…PIERCE…SNOHOMISH…THURSTON….
* FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON
* A WARM FRONTAL SYSTEM AS ALREADY MOVED INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON
THIS MORNING. THE FRONTAL BAND IS EXPECTED TO STALL OVER THE
AREA FOR A 24 TO 36 HOUR PERIOD PRODUCING HEAVY PRECIPITATION
ALONG THE COAST AND MOUNTAINS. FREEZING LEVELS…WHICH WERE NEAR
4000 FEET LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON…HAVE RISEN UP TO NEAR 9000
FEET EARLY THIS MORNING.
* THE RIVERS UNDER THE GREATEST THREAT OF FLOODING ARE THE ONES
THAT FLOW OUT OF THE CENTRAL CASCADES. THESE INCLUDE…BUT ARE
NOT LIMITED TO…THE SNOQUALMIE… SNOHOMISH…AND STILLAGUAMISH.
FLOODING COULD START AS EARLY AS LATE THIS AFTERNOON ON THE
UPPER REACHES OF THE SNOQUALMIE. THERE IS A CHANCE THE SNOHOMISH
RIVER WILL REACH MAJOR FLOOD. THE SKOKOMISH RIVER IN MASON
COUNTY WILL ALSO LIKELY FLOOD…POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS LATE
TONIGHT.
RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE EVENT ARE PREDICTED TO BE IN THE 4 TO 7
INCH RANGE IN THE CENTRAL CASCADES AND UP TO 5 INCHES IN THE
OLYMPICS. OVER THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CASCADES SOUTH OF MOUNT
RAINIER STORM TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY IN THE 2 TO 4
INCH RANGE.
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.
———
Meterologist Scott Sistek, a Port Angeles native, discusses this weather front and flood watch on the website of our Seattle news partner, KOMO: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/118931929.html
