It’s looking like it’ll be a wet weekend in Clark County.
Rain moved into the area late this week, and is expected to intensify, bringing up to 3 inches of rain through late Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.
Forecasts predict about 0.3 inch of rain to fall in Vancouver on Friday, 1.19 inches Saturday and 1.78 inches Sunday.
“There is a slight chance of some thunderstorms popping up on Friday,” said meteorologist David Bishop. “It’s looking like constant rain, maybe some showery precipitation — stopping and starting, stopping and starting — throughout the weekend.”
Bishop said he’d put the chances of a thunderstorm Friday at around 15 percent. If one does occur, he said it would most likely be in the late morning or early evening, and it would most likely increase the amount of rain in the area.
The rain is making its way to Clark County as part of an atmospheric river.
“An atmospheric river is a river of moisture in the atmosphere,” Bishop said. “There’s a lot of rain, a lot of moisture, coming from across the Pacific into our area. This one is originating from in and around Japan.”
Forecasters are predicting light to moderate rain Saturday, with breezy conditions developing Saturday night, raising the chance of urban flooding from clogged storm drains. Moderate to heavy rain is expected on Sunday, raising the possibility of flash floods and debris flows around the Eagle Creek Fire burn scar in the Columbia River Gorge.
Bishop said temperatures should reach a high in the upper 50s or maybe low 60s, and a low of mid- to upper 40s.
With the constant wetness, Bishop said it’s important for residents to be aware of what’s going on.
“There’s a good chance we’ll see heavy rain on Friday, especially if some thunderstorms pop up,” he said. “Be safe while driving. Make sure your wipers are good to go and leave more room to react to other drivers.”
