As I've reported to you in the past, it rains a lot on the Southwest Washington Coast. On average, we receive about 37.5" of precipitation during the months of November, December and January. Therefore, rain typically is not regarded as a weather event in this part of the country.
That said, the rain is becoming such an event now. In the past 34 hours, we've recorded nearly 9" in the rain gauge. In fact, South Bend normally receives 12.05" for the entire month of January; we've received 1.25" MORE than that amount in LESS than 7 days. Today alone -- only 10 hours old -- we've received nearly 5.20". And the worst of this storm isn't supposed to arrive until late this afternoon!!!
If the next storm materializes as forecast, it is conceivable that we will record between 10 - 12" in one 24-hour period. That's really mind-boggling, even for here!
Our chief river, the Willapa, rarely floods. Generally, most of our flooding is the result of a combination of high tide and storm surge. But the Willapa is flooding now due to the biblical amounts of rain. It will certainly get worse before it gets better.
If all that wasn't enough, the forecast this afternoon calls for the possibility of hurricane force winds. It's been very blustery already over the past 24 hours. So, it's very likely that the north Pacific County area may be cut off from the outside world for a day or two due to flooded highways and numerous mudslides.
I'll keep you posted...provided our electricity doesn't get knocked out.
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Update #1 @ 3:15 p.m.
That said, the rain is becoming such an event now. In the past 34 hours, we've recorded nearly 9" in the rain gauge. In fact, South Bend normally receives 12.05" for the entire month of January; we've received 1.25" MORE than that amount in LESS than 7 days. Today alone -- only 10 hours old -- we've received nearly 5.20". And the worst of this storm isn't supposed to arrive until late this afternoon!!!
If the next storm materializes as forecast, it is conceivable that we will record between 10 - 12" in one 24-hour period. That's really mind-boggling, even for here!
Our chief river, the Willapa, rarely floods. Generally, most of our flooding is the result of a combination of high tide and storm surge. But the Willapa is flooding now due to the biblical amounts of rain. It will certainly get worse before it gets better.
If all that wasn't enough, the forecast this afternoon calls for the possibility of hurricane force winds. It's been very blustery already over the past 24 hours. So, it's very likely that the north Pacific County area may be cut off from the outside world for a day or two due to flooded highways and numerous mudslides.
I'll keep you posted...provided our electricity doesn't get knocked out.
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Update #1 @ 3:15 p.m.
After a bit of a "lull", the rain again is coming down in torrents. As of right now, we've had 6.87" of rain since midnight which means 15.00" total for the first 7 days of the new year.
It is predicted the Willapa River will crest at 26' -- 5 feet above flood stage -- sometime in the wee hours of the morning. The highest crest ever recorded has been 27.4'. If the rain continues to come down as much as expected, I won't be surprised in the least if we exceed that record.
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Update #2 @ 7:30 p.m.
It is predicted the Willapa River will crest at 26' -- 5 feet above flood stage -- sometime in the wee hours of the morning. The highest crest ever recorded has been 27.4'. If the rain continues to come down as much as expected, I won't be surprised in the least if we exceed that record.
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Update #2 @ 7:30 p.m.
It's raining. It's pouring. It's blowing. Will it ever let up? With 4 1/2 hours left to go in this calendar day, the rain gauge now stands at 9.20" and a 48-hour total of 12.79" -- more than a foot of rain!
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Update #3 @ 9:40 p.m.
Ten freaking inches. That's where we stand with a little over 2 hours to go in this day. While the winds have picked up, the rain itself has actually slackened a wee bit. I'll post one more update just after midnight with the final day's total.
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Update #4 @ 11:59 p.m.
Today's total = 10.93"
Two day total = 14.52"
Month to date = 19.06" (7.01" above normal with 24 days to go!)
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Update #3 @ 9:40 p.m.
Ten freaking inches. That's where we stand with a little over 2 hours to go in this day. While the winds have picked up, the rain itself has actually slackened a wee bit. I'll post one more update just after midnight with the final day's total.
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Update #4 @ 11:59 p.m.
Today's total = 10.93"
Two day total = 14.52"
Month to date = 19.06" (7.01" above normal with 24 days to go!)
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