A fast-moving gully-washer struck parts of Western Washington Sunday, quickly flooding some streets and slowing some traffic to a crawl.
“A few places got over half an inch” of rain, said Dennis D’Amico, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Bellevue led the way with more than an inch of rain in a 24-hour period.
Traffic was briefly snarled on Sunday in the sheeting water on northbound I-5 near Everett, where the state has ground away pavement in preparation for paving an HOV lane.
There were only a few scattered accidents across the area as a result of the weather. The rain came down hard and fast but was replaced by milder weather in the afternoon.
More rain was expected early this morning, D’Amico said. Forecasters said there was an 80 percent likelihood of showers and a high temperature of 67 degrees.
“As fast as it comes in, it will be out of here,” D’Amico said. “The middle of the week will be pretty nice. Not particularly hot weather, but dry skies starting Tuesday.”
Almost a half-inch of rain was recorded in Seattle area Sunday, fueled by the Puget Sound convergence zone.
The rough weather forced the state highway department to haul out a special trailer-sized blow-dryer to keep its major I-5 roadwork project on track in downtown Seattle.
In Everett, rainfall was around 0.21 inches during a 24-hour period.
“During this time of year, it’s always going to help the lawn and the garden,” D’Amico said. “Some people are glad they got it. They’re not looking down on the rain.”
A big rainstorm isn’t unheard of in Everett in August. Records dating back to 1948 at Everett Community College show all-time high rainfalls in excess of 1 inch depending on the day.
The abrupt storm served as a reminder to drivers that rain mixes with grease and oil on the roads and can mean dangerous driving, DOT spokesman Travis Phelps said.
“The first couple of rains tend to make roads slick,” he said. “Be prepared as we leave the warm summer months. Roads tend to get slicker as it rains.”
That’s not to say that summer is over, Phelps said.
D’Amico agreed.
“We still have a few more weeks,” D’Amico said. “Hang on and it will be a little drier.”
Sunday’s rainstorm
Paine Field: 0.21 inches Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: 0.45 inches
Bellevue: 1.18 inches
Port Angeles: 0.69 inches
Cumulative rainfall for the year: 19.45 inches
Cumulative rainfall for the year (average to date): 20.23 inches
Number of 80-degree days (2007): 22
Number of 80-degree days (average per year): 25
Source: National Weather Service
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