Note: This report will be updated continually through Thursday evening.
Melting snow, relentless rain and incoming tides were raising rivers and sending communities into flood preparedness Thursday. Flood watches went into effect for Pierce, Thurston, King, Grays Harbor, Mason and Snohomish counties.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Puyallup River near Orting on Thursday. Minor flooding was forecast to occur just after midnight Friday. Then the river was expected to recede.
The situation in Centralia is more dire, where flooding is already occurring and could reach historic levels before waters begin to recede on Saturday.
Flooding is not confined to major rivers. Creeks and small streams have the potential to flood, the weather service said.
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the forecast, the weather service said, due to rising snow levels. The more precipitation that falls as snow reduces the level of flooding.
The heavy rain also increases the threat of landslides. Soils are waterlogged from weeks of rain and snow.
In the 24-hour period ending at 12:43 p.m. Thursday, several points around western Washington received more than 4 inches of rain including the Willapa Hills, west of Chehalis, and Humptulips, north of Aberdeen.
Pierce County
The Puyallup River is forecast to flood low-lying areas near Orting and along the river’s upper reaches, according to the weather service. Those areas include Orville Road East south of Brooks Road, Neadham Road and the vicinity of the County Subdivision/Tomolla Farm.
The city said sand bags were available at Orting’s public works building at 900 Rocky Road NE and in a parking lot at the Orting Skate Park at 425 Washington Avenue SE.
Traffic is obscured by torrential rain as it rolls south on Interstate 5 through Olympia, Washington, on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com
Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers
In Lewis County, the Skookumchuck River will cause major flooding in Centralia, according to the weather service. It will also affect Bucoda in Thurston County.
“The river will flood many roads and residential areas and cover much of the farmland in the Skookumchuck River valley,” the weather service said. “Flooding will occur all along the river including headwaters, tributaries, and other streams within and near the Skookumchuck River Basin.”
Flooding is also forecast for the Chehalis River above Grand Mound, which affects areas in Lewis and Thurston counties and downstream in Grays Harbor County.
The Newaukum River could reach an all-time high Thursday evening. It and the Skookumchuck both flow into the Chehalis River.
A slide on state Route 6, just east of Pe Ell, has closed that road until further notice, WSDOT said. SR 6 connects Raymond with I-5.
WSDOT said it had no plans on Thursday to close I-5 due to flooding like it did in 2007. Since then, the freeway has been improved to reduce effects from flooding. However, if closure was necessary, WSDOT said it would immediately blast the message on all of its communication platforms.
Pacific County
Raymond and South Bend were both experiencing flooding Thursday as the Willapa River headed to major flood stage at 4 a.m. Friday. The Naselle River is expected to flood as well, cresting just after midnight. Both flow into Willapa Bay.
Getting to Willapa Bay was becoming more difficult Thursday evening.
State route 6 was closed at Menlo and U.S. 101 was closed just north of Raymond.
State Route closed outside of Raymond Thursday after a mudslide blocked the road. The road is closed in both directions between mileposts 8 and 9 until further notice, WSDOT said.
Numerous other county roads were closed due to flooding, according to Pacific County Emergency Management.
Sand bags were being made available at Raymond city operations.
“A shelter is open at the Willapa Harbor Chamber of Commerce for people displaced by the flooding,” emergency management said on Facebook.
Schools in Raymond, South Bend and Willapa Bay will be closed, emergency management said. Parents should check with their childrens’ schools for the latest information.
Forecast through Friday
In the Tacoma area, up to an inch of rain is expected.
In the Olympics, 3-6 inches of rain is forecast with 4-9 inches of precipitation in the Cascades.
Authorities remind the public not to drive into flooded areas. Most drowning deaths in floods occur in vehicles, according to the weather service.
Winds are forecast for Friday. Gusts could reach 30 miles per hour in the South Sound and up to 70 miles per hour on the coast.
Friday’s high will be 48 degrees and the low will be 36.
Train service
An area south of Centralia was the scene of a mudslide that has shut down train service between Portland and Tacoma, Amtrak said. Thursday’s north-bound Coast Starlight will terminate in Portland rather than Seattle
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 1:59 PM.
Craig Sailor has worked for The News Tribune since 1998 as a writer, editor and photographer. He previously worked at The Olympian and at other newspapers in Nevada and California. He has a degree in journalism from San Jose State University.
