Storm nears West Side, but rains should be mild

SEATTLE – A new storm expected tonight won’t be as dramatic as the past week’s heavy rains that pushed rivers past their banks and caused widespread flooding across Western Washington, forecasters said Saturday.

The latest storm system was expected to bring between 0.75 inches and 1.5 inches of rain to the Puget Sound area and surrounding foothills, said Dennis D’Amico, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Strong winds also were forecast, but mostly for Oregon.

Forecasters said there was little chance of a return to the major flooding of early in the week.

“It’s not really going to be significant,” D’Amico said. “This is not a forecast to exacerbate the flooding.”

Most of the precipitation was expected to fall as snow in the Cascade Mountains, where cooler temperatures brought 1 to 2 feet of snow by Friday night. Saturday’s snow advisory was for 5 to 10 inches by this morning.

Flood warnings remained Saturday for the Cedar River in King County, as well as the Cowlitz River below Mayfield Dam and the White River below Mud Mountain Dam.

Planned water releases from the two dams increased streamflows. The Cowlitz flooding affected Lewis County, while the White River affected King and Pierce counties.

As floodwaters slowly receded, cleanup continued. Twenty-four counties asked residents to report flood-related damages in advance of visits by state and federal authorities next week.

Beginning Wednesday, state and federal officials, representing the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will conduct assessments in all 24 affected counties.

The storms that began last weekend and ended Tuesday were blamed for at least two deaths. Scores of homes were damaged, and washed-out roads, campgrounds, power and sewer systems forced Mount Rainier National Park officials to close the park to visitors for the first time in 26 years.

Flooding at the Cowlitz River washed away three homes and damaged dozens more south of Mount Rainier in Randle and Packwood. Volunteers have supplied hard-hit residents with drinking water, cleaning supplies, clothes, food and other items. Farther south, residents in Vader and Toutle were told to boil drinking water as a precaution after the storm.