Flood watches for Snohomish, Stillaguamish and Skykomish rivers
Published 11:21 pm Sunday, December 2, 2007
EVERETT — Today’s predicted daylong blast of gusting winds and heavy rain has led to forecasts of more bad weather tonight, which could include flooding of urban streets as well as Snohomish County rivers.
The Snohomish, Stillaguamish and Skykomish are among the rivers in Western Washington listed by the National Weather Service in Seattle as facing the greatest threat of flooding.
A major storm system, combined with a weather double-whammy in the Cascades, has triggered flood watches for rivers throughout the Puget Sound region.
Freezing levels in the Cascades are expected to rise to around 7,000 feet today, which could then be hit with as much as 5 to 10 inches of rainfall by this evening.
The threat of flooding on area rivers is expected to continue through Wednesday afternoon.
Snohomish County is expected to be battered by high winds today, which could reach 30 to 40 miles per hour with gusts that could hit up to 60 mph, said Dennis D’Amico, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
Windy conditions are expected to start early this morning and not taper off until this evening, he said.
The Puget Sound region is already soggy from a weekend of snow and rain. Everett had 0.8 inches of rain for the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Sunday, while other areas in the Puget Sound Region recorded as much as 1.5 inches of rain, D’Amico said.
The I-5 corridor could be hit with another 2 to 3 inches of rain by nightfall tonight, he said.
“We’ll have to watch for urban flooding concerns,” he said.
Emergency crews for the Snohomish County PUD and volunteers for the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross are on standby.
After a weekend of snow and rain, “now we’re worried about the winds and the flooding possibility,” Mike Thorne, a PUD spokesman, said Sunday night.
High winds are expected to begin this morning and continue throughout the day, he said. Gusting winds can topple trees, knocking out power lines.
About 30 Red Cross volunteers are on standby, preparing for the possibility of flooding on area rivers. “If it does, we’ll be ready for it,” Kris Krischano, a spokesman for the local chapter said Sunday. “If there’s any need, they’re ready to go.”
Writer Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
