Four years ago in 2017, we were shoveling what was falling from the skies with as much as 15 inches of snow in the Felida and Salmon Creek areas. No shoveling this go around but with 6 inches of rainfall for the coastal and Cascade mountains, we are going to hear about mudslides and flooding.
It will be raining high up in the Cascades today with even Timberline receiving rainfall. At the coast, with extremely high tides of 10 or 11 feet and strong swells, more low-lying coastal flooding. On the Long Beach Peninsula at high tide Sunday and Monday, water was rushing up the beach approaches and reached dwellings and parking lots. One resident compared it to a small tsunami.
A flood watch was issued for all Southwest Washington and northern Oregon today for excessive rains and localized flooding. A good day to remain indoors if you can at all possible. Even our local roadways could be inundated curb to curb if heavy rains persist as forecast.
Although Vancouver’s rainfall at 5 p.m. Monday was still on the light side, our coastal locations had already received 2 inches of rain from midnight to 5 p.m. Monday. Vancouver rainfall so far in January at 5 p.m. was 3.45 inches and that topples the entire month of January in 2020, when only 2.83 inches fell. Need I say more? It is wet.
