Latest Updates: Record rains cause flooding, road closures in Pierce County on Monday
Record rain is causing some flooding across Pierce County on Monday afternoon.
4:58 p.m. — State Route 7 is closed in multiple locations between Elbe and Morton.
“Closure due to water over the roadway on SR 7 from milepost 2 near Coal Creek to milepost 11 near Mineral Road South, use alternate route, beginning at 1:51 pm on February 28, 2022, until further notice,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. “Closure on SR 7 SB at MP 16.82 near SR 706 beginning at 3:51 pm on Feb. 28, 2022 until further notice. The roadway is currently closed. Elbe bridge is only open to local residents.”
4:45 p.m. — The National Weather Service Office in Seattle issued a flood warning South Prairie Creek in Pierce County this afternoon.
Heavy rain and snow melt in the mountains “will drive South Prairie Creek above minor flood stage, the Weather Service said.
“South Prairie Creek will flood low lying areas and roads from the Town of South Prairie downstream to the Carbon River near Orting,” according to the flood alert.
The Puyallup River near Orting and the Nisqually Rivers also are under a flood warning.
The Weather Service also warned of possible landslides from saturated soils.
4:10 p.m. — KIRO 7 posted video on Twitter of a debris flow in the Sommerset neighborhood of Bellevue.
“This is where a water main break flooded the road, then a slide destroyed a house in January. Crews just reopened the neighborhood on Friday after 6 weeks,” reporter Deedee Sun tweeted.
Record-breaking rainfall dumps on Tacoma area
Buckle up for a wet week in the Tacoma area. The National Weather Service reports an extended period of rainfall is likely across much of Western Washington as several systems make their way through.
The NWS reported that 2.01 inches of rain had fallen in the Tacoma area Monday as of 2 p.m., shattering the previous daily rainfall record for Feb. 28 of 0.66 inches in 2013. The records are for rainfall measured from the weather station at the Tacoma Narrows Airport. More rain is on the way, with between a half inch and three-quarters of an inch of rain predicted for overnight.
It was forecast to be breezy, too, with south-southwest winds of 20 to 22 mph Monday with gusts as high as 29 mph. The predicted high temperature was 56 degrees, and the low was expected to be 52 degrees overnight.
The chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday was forecast at 80 percent. Forecasters predicted a 40 percent chance of rain Thursday and a slight chance for Friday.
A flood warning was in effect through 7 a.m. Tuesday in the Tacoma area, and a flood watch was in effect through 3 p.m. Wednesday. The heaviest rainfall is expected across the coast, Olympics and Cascades, with river flooding highly likely. The NWS reported heavy rainfall could lead to flooding in low-lying areas, near underpasses and areas with poor drainage.
The weather made for slick roads Monday morning. The Washington State Department of Transportation urged drivers to use caution and leave more space between vehicles.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 5:11 PM.