A rainstorm dropped more than 3 inches of rain in Port Angeles and more than 2 inches on Forks in a 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning.
Rising Elwha River water flooded portions of Olympic Hot Springs Road and the Elwha Campground on Wednesday, while water crossed several Clallam County roads from minor flooding of the Bogachiel, Elwha and Dungeness rivers, officials said.
“All in all, it was fairly minor,” said Brian King, chief criminal deputy for the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
East Jefferson County had no notable flooding, said Keppie Keplinger, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Services.
Rainfall totals for 3 a.m. Tuesday through 3 a.m. Wednesday included 2.04 inches in Forks, 3.09 inches in Port Angeles and 1.62 inches in Quilcene, according to National Weather Service weather data.
Meteorologists expected less than a half-inch of rainfall to be added to the already soggy North Olympic Peninsula communities through Friday.
The new storm is expected to be colder than recent storms and might add more than a foot of snow at Hurricane Ridge by Friday, according to the Weather Service.
Already closed because of damage from previous flooding in November, the national park’s Elwha Campground and parts of Olympic Hot Springs Road were inundated again.
“Additional damage is being done to the road,” said Barb Maynes, spokeswoman for the park.
Crews have not yet been able to access the area to assess the damage, which will have to wait until the stormwaters recede, she said.
The river was still flowing Wednesday afternoon across Olympic Hot Springs Road at the entrance to the flooded campground about 1 mile from the entrance station on Olympic Hot Springs Road.
On Nov. 17, the river flooded to 23 feet. It reactivated a previously dry side channel that runs behind the campground and washed out more than 60 feet of road to a depth of about 6 feet, park officials said.
Altair Campground was also damaged in the Nov. 17 flood. It had been closed because of damage done in a December 2014 storm.
Maynes said the park has discussed options for repair of Olympic Hot Springs Road and the two campgrounds but will have to wait until the winter floods have ended to see the degree of damage and be able to work in flooded areas.
Sol Duc Road was closed Tuesday afternoon as a precaution and remained closed Wednesday pending evaluation of conditions on that road, she said.
She said Queets Road was closed because of trees fallen across the road, and Graves Creek Road was closed pending repairs.
Elsewhere in Clallam County, the flooding Dungeness River flowed across Ward Road north of Sequim. A nearby creek sent water across the road on Palo Alto Road in Blyn.
In Port Angeles, Lower Elwha Road flooded near the Elwha River mouth.
County road crews responded with signage to alert drivers, King said.
Elsewhere, seven people were swept into the Puyallup River from a riverbank homeless camp Wednesday morning.
Someone called 9-1-1 around 6:30 a.m. to report that people were in the river up to their waists and chests beneath a state Highway 512 overpass, The News Tribune newspaper reported.
All were pulled out of the river by Central Pierce Fire & Rescue by 8 a.m.
More than 5 inches of rain has fallen on Portland, Ore., since Sunday, and strong winds have uprooted trees from the saturated ground.
A large Douglas fir tree crashed into a Portland home early Wednesday, killing a 60-year-old woman who was in bed.
At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the official weather for Seattle is recorded, the Weather Service said 2.13 inches of rain fell Tuesday. That beats the previous Dec. 8 record of 1.61 inches.
Puget Sound Energy in Washington reported more than 70,000 power outages early Wednesday. Portland General Electric said crews were trying to restore power to 26,000 customers.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
