Heavy rain forecast for Olympia area

Halloween weather is giving Western Washington a big trick, with a series of rain storms that threaten to push rivers above flood stage and prompted a plea to stay away from Mount Rainier National Park.

Power outages were reported in the Olympia area Friday as the rain came with enough wind to topple trees. A spokesperson for Thurston County Public Works said crews were responded to reports of trees or branches down on Northeast Lemon Road, Dunlap Road Southwest and Littlerock Road.

Southwest Washington was forecast to get as much as 2 inches of rain Friday night and that much again on Saturday. The chance of rain is 90 percent for Saturday evening, but it isn’t expected to rain as hard for trick-or-treaters as it does during the day.

The rain forecast has led the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for most of Western Washington until Sunday evening. Rivers flowing off the Olympics and west slopes of the Cascades are forecast to see sharp rises, with flooding possible.

Mount Rainier National Park is forecast to receive 12-15 inches of rain over the weekend, with snow at higher elevations, and Superintendent Randy King is discouraging travel in the park until the storm passes. Evacuations could become necessary otherwise, according to a news release.

All park rivers are expected to reach near flood stage, with potential for debris flows associated with glaciers. Power outages also may occur throughout the park and emergency services may be significantly delayed.

Road closures in the park include: Westside Road; Sunrise and White River Campground roads, closed at the junction with SR410; Carbon River Trail at the entrance to Ipsut Creek; and Mowich Lake Road, beyond the Paul Peak vehicle barricade.

The storm effectively ends seasonal driving to Mowich Lake and the Sunrise/White River Road.

Friday’s rain was associated with a strong warm front that was expected to stall over the area Friday night and include gusts up to 40 mph, according to the weather service. A cold front brings another bout of heavy rain on Saturday. Saturday and Saturday night will be breezy, with gusts forecast to about 24 miles per hour. A wind advisory was issued Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon.

Showers also are forecast for Sunday and Monday, with the first chance of a dry day coming on Tuesday.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Heavy rain forecast for Olympia area."