Rainstorm heading toward Western Washington prompts flood watch

A flood watch has been issued for much of Western Washington including Thurston County for Thursday night through Sunday night.

The National Weather Service in Seattle issued the flood watch Wednesday for Thurston, Grays Harbor, Mason, Lewis, Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Skagit, Whatcom, King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

A flood watch means there is the potential for flooding based on the current forecast.

The weather service says a strong weather system will bring heavy rain starting Thursday afternoon, with 3 to 7 inches expected to fall into Saturday. The highest amounts of precipitation will be over the mountains, where it could fall as snow or a rain-snow mix. In lowland South Sound, temperatures are expected to remain in the 40s during the storm.

Rivers and stream could flood, especially during the heaviest rain Thursday night into Friday morning. Landslides are possible, though soils are not saturated at this time, according to the weather service.

Wet roads could make for hazardous driving conditions.

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 1:31 PM.