Record Rain, Flooding Slap Washington

Heavy rains across Washington set a record in Yakima on Tuesday and caused a mudslide that officials said could close U.S. Highway 101 along Hood Canal for months.

Flooding was reported in central Washington’s Douglas and Grant counties, and the tiny Douglas County community of Palisades was cut off.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for the Snoqualmie River in King County, the Skykomish River in Snohomish County, the Skokomish River in Mason County and the Klickitat River in Klickitat County. Flood watches, a lower level of alert, were issued for the Stillaguamish, Skagit, Nooksack and Yakima rivers.

The weather service also warned residents to expect more wet weather over the next several days “as the storm track is pointed directly at Washington.”

U.S. Highway 101, the only north-south route along the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, was closed Monday by a slide beneath it near the Mason-Jefferson county line.

“The road’s still there, but a crack is showing at the center line, and we’re afraid we’re going to lose that portion of road,” said Jim Brosio, of the state Department of Transportation. “There’s no detour.”

The mudslide snapped off trees and dislodged earth beneath the road up to the edge of the lane, Brosio said. Crews shut down a stretch of highway about 200 feet long just north of Eldon.

In the best case, the slide area will stabilize and crews can begin building a retaining wall - but even that will take months, Brosio said.

Yakima set a record for January precipitation on Tuesday, recording 3.67 inches up to 10 a.m. The previous January record was 3.66 inches in 1970.

In Douglas County, waist-deep water was reported at

Palisades, and its residents were isolated.

Jim Barker, administrator of Douglas County Transportation and Land Services, said crews worked 24 hours Monday.

Residents of Palisades, located in a narrow coulee, were left isolated by floodwaters for the second time this month. The road and school both were closed.

“We’re in trouble out here. We have a lot of water,” Palisades resident Barbara Thompson said Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Sagebrush Flats and Baird Springs Road in Grant County were closed due to washouts, said Grant County Public Works Director Mike Murray. Many limited-use roads in Grant County also have been closed, Murray said.