Portland, Ore.– Residents of the Pacific Northwest are bracing for another round of heavy rain on Wednesday after a powerful storm hit the region the day before, swollen rivers, closed roads and prompted rescues in rising waters.
The first in a series of devastating storms this week caused power outages, flooding and school closures in parts of Oregon and Washington on Tuesday. Drivers were forced to navigate slides of debris and water that blocked roads and submerged vehicles.
Northeast Seattle fire officials said rescue teams used inflatable kayaks to pull people from stuck cars and carried another person a mile (1.6 kilometers) to safety after they became trapped in the woods by rising water.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said in a post on the social platform
Forecasters have warned that the worst is yet to come, with some major rivers expected to rise later in the week. The Skagit River near Concrete, northeast of Seattle, is expected to rise more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) above major flood levels by Thursday, which would break a record, according to the National Water Forecasting Service.
Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Seattle office, described the atmospheric river that flooded the area as a “jet stream of moisture” extending across the Pacific Ocean “with the crater pushing right along the Oregon and Washington coast.”
The National Weather Service forecast several days of heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot (30 cm) of new snow in the Northern Rockies in northwest Wyoming. A flood watch was in effect, with isolated flash flooding possible along the coast and in the Cascade Mountains through midweek.
Along Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland, firefighters conducted five rescues of people who tried to drive on flooded roads, including a semi-truck driver, said Malachi Semper, spokesman for Lewis County Fire Protection District 5. Authorities also rescued a family of six from their home in Chehalis, he said, adding that the road leading to the home was about 4 feet (1.2 meters) under water at the time. He added that none of those rescued were harmed.
Deputies visited homes in certain neighborhoods to warn residents of impending flooding, and evacuated a mobile home park along the Snohomish River northeast of Seattle, police said. The city of Snohomish issued a flood emergency declaration, while workers in Auburn, south of Seattle, installed temporary flood control barriers along the White River.
On the Columbia River, south near the Oregon border, the city of Longview said it would open a severe weather shelter Tuesday night.
Another storm system is expected to bring rain to the area starting Sunday, Rademacher said. “The pattern looks quite unstable heading into the holidays,” he said.
Portland transportation officials have warned of an increased risk of car accidents due to hydroplaning or driving through flooded roads.
In southeast Alaska, an Arctic blast could bring winds as high as minus 50 degrees (minus 45.6 degrees Celsius) in Skagway and minus 15 degrees (minus 26 degrees Celsius) in the capital, Juneau, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm across the upper Midwest on Tuesday is expected to bring freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow.
The weather forced some schools to close or move to virtual lessons.
Most of the Dakotas were under a high wind warning. Winds were expected to reach 65 mph (105 kph) on Tuesday, said Connor Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck.
Parts of central and northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see heavy snow, with a mix of wintry weather forecast across the Twin Cities metro and southwestern Minnesota, with strong winds possible, said Ryan Dunleavy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.
He said passengers should allow extra time for travel. The storm is expected to head toward the Great Lakes region by Wednesday.