Flood warnings are in effect for the Pacific Northwest as rain continues to pour into the region. For fun I pulled up our HAMrad II Storm Total Precipitation product (note below), and as of the time of this writing respectable rainfall totals in the 6-8″ range have already occurred.
The state of Washington has several advisories issued associated with the event, including flood warnings, high wind warnings, and associated watches and statements (note graphic below). For updated advisories please see our Advisory Center.
A sample of the flood warnings are included below:
FLOOD STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 1034 AM PST WED NOV 12 2008 THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN WASHINGTON... CARBON RIVER NEAR FAIRFAX AFFECTING PIERCE COUNTY. PUYALLUP RIVER NEAR ORTING AFFECTING PIERCE COUNTY. NISQUALLY RIVER NEAR NATIONAL AFFECTING LEWIS AND PIERCE COUNTIES. COWLITZ RIVER AT PACKWOOD AFFECTING LEWIS COUNTY. COWLITZ RIVER AT RANDLE AFFECTING LEWIS COUNTY. PUYALLUP RIVER AT PUYALLUP AFFECTING PIERCE COUNTY. DESCHUTES RIVER NEAR RAINIER AFFECTING THURSTON COUNTY. FLOOD BULLETIN NO. 10 SOUTH WEST REGION THE STORM CONTINUES OVER THE AREA BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN. ONE TO THREE INCHES HAVE FALLEN IN THE VALLEY AND LOWLANDS WITH 3 TO SEVEN INCHES IN THE OLYMPICS AND CASCADES. SEVERAL MORE INCHES OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH TODAY BEFORE THE RAIN DIMINISHES. MOST RIVERS ARE STILL RISING. DO NOT DRIVE CARS... TRUCKS... OR SUVS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS... THIS IS THE CAUSE OF MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS IN WASHINGTON. BE ALERT FOR RAPID CHANGES AND MONITOR DEVELOPMENTS BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA.
The setup for the southwestern United States has the beginnings of another Santa Ana event as an upper level high from the Pacific Basin will push on shore and basically sit and spin over California by the weekend. NWS offices will likely issue red flag warnings Friday or Saturday as wind gusts increase to ~70mph and relative humidity values plummet to the single digits.
As always stay tuned to your favorite weather outlet, stay informed, and stay safe!
cheers,
–patrick