The Chehalis River in Lewis and Thurston counties, the Deschutes River from Rainier to Tumwater, the Puyallup River near Orting, and the Skokomish River in Mason County all landed on the National Weather Service’s flood-warning list.
They were all feeling the effects of several inches of rain that began Monday and was expected to continue through this morning.
The Skokomish, the most frequently flooded river in Western Washington, topped flood stage Tuesday morning, forcing closure of through-traffic on the Skokomish Valley Road. The river is expected to remain above flood stage until tonight.
The Chehalis River near Grand Mound in South Thurston County was predicted to reach flood stage by 9 a.m., today, cresting 2 or 3 feet above flood stage by 8 a.m. Thanksgiving Day.
In the past, similar river flows have triggered flooding of the James, Independence, Moon and Anderson roads near Rochester, cut off access to the Chehalis Indian Reservation, inundated farmland, and reached some homes in low-lying areas, according to Thurston County Emergency Management officials.
The Deschutes River, which could see 7 or more inches of rain in the upper watershed through tonight, was expected to exceed flood stage overnight with flooding likely in the Rainier area all the way down to Tumwater Valley.
Capitol Lake, the terminus of the river before it drains into Budd Inlet, was lowered 2 feet Tuesday to make room for floodwaters, state Department of Enterprise Services spokeswoman Jennifer Reynolds said. Downtown flooding is not expected around the lake, but officials are keeping a close eye on the situation, she said.
The National Weather Service predicted the Puyallup River would reach flood stage near Orting early Tuesday evening with minor flooding continuing through today.
The weather forecast calls for a brief lull in the rain and wind tonight, followed by another strong storm system with possibly damaging winds along the Washington and Oregon coasts and the northern Puget Sound area Thursday.
A series of storm fronts is likely to bring unsettled weather to the region through the weekend and into next week, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444 jdodge@theolympian.com
