What forecasters described as what might be the strongest storm this season is expected to hit Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon later Monday, bringing gusty winds, heavy rain and even some flooding to the region for the first few days of the week.
Where that wind will hit — as well as its intensity — was unclear, said Colby Neuman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland.
“The models in this kind of pattern have a really hard time nailing down exactly where the front’s going to be at what time. That’s just sort of the inherent uncertainty in this pattern,” he said.
The forecast Sunday night had the winds most likely hitting the southern and central Willamette Valley, he said, and nothing out of the ordinary for Clark County.
The weather service also issued a flood watch for late Monday night through Wednesday afternoon. Neuman said flooding concerns were primarily for streams on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, but Clark County might see waterlogged fields or urban flooding, or flooding in smaller creeks, if the expected storms linger overhead.
Forecasters predicted 1 to 2.5 inches of rain around the metro area, enough that the weather service advised residents in flood-prone areas to watch the forecast.
“Definitely enough to cause some urban flooding, especially if some storm drains are clogged,” Neuman said.
For Vancouver, forecasters expected a tenth to a quarter-inch of rain today, with heavier rains, with 1 to 2 inches of new rainfall, Monday night.
Rain, heavy at times, should continue on Tuesday, forecasters said, with a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of new precipitation.
The rain should continue Tuesday night, with a tenth to a quarter-inch of rainfall expected, according to the weather service.
Forecasters expected the rain to continue through the week.
