Heavy rain in Tacoma, Pierce County leaves road closures, flooding. When will it end?
Record-setting rain in Tacoma and Pierce County on Monday caused some flooding and mudslides on roads. The National Weather Service reported that river levels will continue to rise Tuesday but are expected to crest and begin receding.
The active weather is expected to subside by midweek, according to the NWS.
The county had crews out overnight to monitor conditions and clear blocked storm drains. By Tuesday morning, there were four new road closures due to either water over the road or mudslides, according to the Pierce County Road Status Map.
Most road closures were in south and east Pierce County, but drivers were urged to use caution on many other roads with water on them near Parkland, Spanaway, Bonney Lake, Buckley and Orting, according to the map.
A flood watch is in effect through 3 p.m. Wednesday in parts of Pierce County closer to the Cascades. The NWS reported rivers would rise early Tuesday morning before cresting and eventually receding into Wednesday.
South Prairie Creek has some moderate flooding early Tuesday that has started to recede, according to the NWS. In Puyallup, the Puyallup River was near flood stage, but it was forecast to begin receding by about 10 a.m.
A chance of rain remains through Friday, but the worst of it is over. The NWS recorded 2.72 inches of rain in the Tacoma area over the last 24 hours at 4 a.m.
New rain during the day Tuesday was forecast to be less than a tenth of an inch. The chance of rain will drop to 60 percent overnight with rainfall predicted at between a tenth of an inch and a quarter of an inch.
Road closures in Pierce County
- State route 162 was closed in both directions in east Pierce County between Arline Road East and Emery Avenue due to water over the road.
- South Prairie Road East was closed at 246th Avenue East, starting at 11:51 p.m. Monday due to water over the road.
- Orville Road East was closed at 38015 Orville Road East, starting at 11:45 p.m. Monday due to mudslide.
- Orville Road East was closed at the 264th Street intersection, starting at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday.
- Orville Road East was closed at Brooks Road, starting at 1:51 p.m. Monday due to mudslide.
- East Pioneer was closed in Puyallup in the 3500 block starting at about 12:20 p.m. due to a fallen tree.
- Marine View Drive in northeast Tacoma was closed starting at about 5 p.m. Monday due to landslides.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 8:36 AM.
