I-5 may remain closed for days; rains lessen

Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says Interstate 5 at Chehalis could be closed for four days.

She says the flooding is similar to the December 2007 flood that caused a four-day blockage on the main north-south route in Western Washington.

At the scene Thursday morning, Hammond calls it deja vu.

Hammond says when the Chehalis River crests Thursday night, officials expect water to be 10 feet deep over the highway. After the water starts falling, crews plan to use pumps and breach a levy to help the water drain out.

Hammond says about 10,000 trucks a day travel I-5 and the financial impact of the closure on freight movement is about $4 million a day. That's made worse by the closure of the three major Cascade passes.

Heavy rains that have swamped Western Washington are coming to an end. Forecasters say rains are turning to showers today with drier weather due Friday.

But the National Weather Service says flooding will remain a problem for a couple of days as overflowing rivers drain. Flood warnings remain in effect for most of Western Washington.

A record 2.29 inches of rain fell Wednesday at Sea-Tac Airport and a record 4.82 inches at Olympia.

Forecasters say the rains will continue through Thursday in Eastern Washington where temperatures in the 40s are melting snow and threatening stream and street flooding until Friday.

The avalanche danger in the mountains remains extreme.