What a difference a few miles can make.
A potent weather system that has been drenching parts of Washington state mostly missed Clark County on Saturday, though rain is expected to arrive overnight.
The county found itself on the dry side of stalled frontal system, left with only blustery winds for much of the day and only 0.05 inch of rain in the 24 hours ending about 6 p.m. Saturday.
North of the front, it was a different picture.
Rainfall totals ranged from 0.65 inch in Kalama to 1.75 inches in Castle Rock and 2.5 inches in Chehalis and 2.65 inches in Olympia.
The rain led to flood watches on the Washington Coast and caused landslides that impacted train traffic between Portland and Seattle.
BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas says engineers halted Amtrak passenger trains through the Nisqually area for a 48-hour period beginning at 9:20 a.m. Saturday after crews discovered a slide that impacted the main line between Tacoma and Nisqually.
A second slide on Saturday afternoon ensured that main line would remain closed to passenger traffic until Monday. Melonas says the new slide was 40-feet wide and 15-feet deep. Freight traffic was also halted but was expected to resume later on Saturday.
It wasn’t just rain. Temperatures south of the front were 10-15 degrees warmer Saturday afternoon, with a 3 p.m. temperature in Vancouver of 60 degrees, and in the 40s north of Castle Rock.
The weather system has brought blustery conditions to Clark County, however, with average winds of 7 to 10 mph and gust up to 22 mph.
Conditions were forecast to change overnight, however, as the front moved in, bringing with it a burst of heavy rain, gusty winds and significantly lower temperatures. Snow levels are expected to drop from 7,000 feet on Saturday to as low as 2,000 feet on Sunday.
Rain or showers are forecast through the week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
