Heavy Rain, Wind Roll into Snoqualmie Valley; River Rising, Flood Warning, Wind Advisory Issued

UPDATE |  OCTOBER 31, 2015, 3PM

The City of North Bend reports that Public Works Emergency Response Crews have been busy all day working to clean out falls 10:31culverts, storm drains in response to this storm event.  They are working closely with King County and Snoqualmie Emergency Management in coordinating responses. Residents are asked to call 425.736.7697 if they see flooding or other concerning conditions.

Current Road Closures Include: NW 8th Street and The Park and Ride across from the Pour House on North Bend Way.  There is also water over the roadway forcing a closure at SE 24th Street between West Snoqualmie River Road SE & 309th Avenue SE in Fall City.

The flow sum of the three forks of the Snoqualmie River was at almost 35,000 cfs at 2:15PM.  38,000 cfs would move the river to a level 4 flood stage.

A few scattered power outages have also been reported to PSE in the Fall City, North Bend and Snoqualmie areas. They affect less that 200 customers according to a PSE outage map.


UPDATE |  OCTOBER 31, 2015, 10:30AM

As the heavy rain continued overnight, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood warning on the Snoqualmie River near the Falls, from Saturday at 11AM until Sunday morning, November 1st.

As of  9:15AM, the river near the Falls had crossed 20,000 cfs which is a phase 3 flood level, with minor flooding forecast.

The NWS predicts the river will crest near 30,000 cfs around 5PM on Halloween evening, falling below flood flow early Sunday morning.

According to NWS, at these levels the Snoqualmie River will cause widespread flooding of pasture lands and some roads along the river from the town of Snoqualmie downstream through Fall City. Roads that may become  flooded include Fall City-Carnation, Tolt Hill and Novelty flats roads.

Heavy, steady morning rain is predicted to taper to showers by mid/late afternoon, making trick-or-treating conditions a little better Saturday night.


ORIGINAL STORY

Well, hello Fall – welcome to town.

With a pattern of heavy rain (at times) rolling into the Snoqualmie Valley and the Cascades for the Halloween weekend, the Snoqualmie River is on the rise, not uncommon during the stormy fall and winter months. Although the weekend’s forecast is tame compared to Valley storms of the past, some agencies are monitoring and issuing a few minor warnings.

According to a City of Snoqualmie press release, the Snoqualmie River flow, as of Friday morning, October 3o, 2015 was flowing at 6,100 cubic feet per second(cfs).  By 3PM it had risen to 11,500 cfs.  The river is predicted to crest at approximately 25,000 cfs on October 31st.

These levels can cause low-level flooding in some areas of the Snoqualmie Valley, particularly in the lower valley. A river flow of 12,000 cfs is considered a level 2 flood phase and 20,000 cfs a level 3 flood phase, but are pretty normal occurrences during the rainy, stormy fall months – and don’t usually cause much worry for local residents.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the Snoqualmie Valley, running from Friday, October 30th from 9PM until October 31st at 12PM. The Mount Si High School weather station picked up a gust of 50MPH Friday morning.

Flood Watch was also issued for area rivers through Sunday, November 1st, as 3-5 inches of rain is possible in the mountains late Friday and into Saturday.  The Snoqualmie River is forecast to reach moderate flood levels.

The Snoqualmie Department of Emergency Management is monitoring river flow changes. City officials said there was no flood alert for the Snoqualmie River as of Friday morning, but advised residents in areas that have experienced low-level flooding in the past to maybe consider temporarily parking vehicles not used daily at a location outside of the flood area.

Cities asks for Public Help to Clear Neighborhood Storm Drains

The City of Snoqualmie and North Bend asks residents to please help clear storm drains of leaves and debris to prevent standing water that can be dangerous for drivers and pedestrians – saying if you are able to safely reach a drain with a rake, “it would be of great help.”

Street sweeping throughout Snoqualmie is in progress and regularly occurs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please clear streets of garbage and recycle containers, as well as parked cars to allow street sweepers to effectively clear leaves and debris.

Happy Fall everyone – time to make up for the dry spring and summer months!

 

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