Emergency Management Division – Clallam County Sheriff’s Office press release
The National Weather Service is predicting a wet Pacific storm system that will affect the region Saturday, December 11 through Monday, December 13. This storm system is the largest we’ve seen for at least two years and will bring significant precipitation and likely flooding on some area rivers.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A
* FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES… GRAYS HARBOR…CLALLAM…ISLAND…JEFFERSON…SAN JUAN…SKAGIT…WHATCOM…KING…KITSAP…LEWIS…MASON…PIERCE…SNOHOMISH…THURSTON.
* FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON
* HEAVY RAIN…ACCOMPANIED BY SNOW LEVELS AROUND 8000 FEET…WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY EXACTLY HOW MUCH RAIN WILL FALL AND WHAT PLACES WILL GET THE MOST RAIN. GENERALLY SPEAKING…STORM TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY FOR THE WESTERN WASHINGTON LOWLANDS… WITH 3 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EVERY COUNTY IN WESTERN WASHINGTON.
* SOME RIVERS SEEM CERTAIN TO FLOOD…INCLUDING THE SKOKOMISH IN MASON COUNTY…THE TOLT IN KING COUNTY…AND THE PUYALLUP RIVER NEAR ORTING IN PIERCE COUNTY. THE FLOOD POTENTIAL ON OTHER RIVERS DEPENDS ON WHERE EXACTLY THE HEAVIEST RAIN FALLS.
* RIVERS FACING AT LEAST A MODERATE THREAT OF FLOODING INCLUDE THE SATSOP AND CHEHALIS RIVERS IN LEWIS AND GRAYS HARBOR COUNTIES… THE NOOKSACK SKAGIT STILLAGUAMISH SNOHOMISH SKYKOMISH AND SNOQUALMIE RIVERS FLOWING OFF THE NORTH CASCADES…AND THE DESCHUTES COWLITZ AND SKOOKUMCHUCK FLOWING OFF THE CENTRAL CASCADES.
* EVEN SMALL STREAMS COULD OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS IF RAIN IS HEAVY ENOUGH. URBAN FLOODING WHERE DRAINAGE IS POOR IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLOOD WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR FLOODING BUT FLOODING IS NOT IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND BE READY TO ACT QUICKLY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.