Palouse Flood Warning Canceled As Water Closes Other Routes

Nearly a year after disastrous flooding, residents in southeastern Washington on Friday again filled sandbags as rain and warming temperatures caused waters to rise.

A half-inch to an inch of rain fell on the region late Thursday and early Friday as temperatures rose into the 40s, causing a rapid snowmelt, the National Weather Service said.

The high waters brought painful reminders of February 1996, when flooding caused by a sudden thaw led to massive damage throughout southeastern Washington and much of the rest of the state.

The state Department of Transportation diverted northbound traffic around a section of U.S. 395 in Adams County on Friday night because moisture from melting snow undermined part of the four-lane highway, which links Ritzville with the Tri-Cities.

Southbound traffic was not affected, and there was no estimate how long the northbound detour would remain in effect or when repairs could be completed.

In Pullman, public works employees Friday were adding to sandbag piles erected when the Palouse River threatened to spill over its banks on New Year’s Day.

The river was expected to crest at about a foot below flood stage early today, and the National Weather Service canceled a flood warning for the river’s south fork Friday night after the flooding danger lessened.

Elsewhere in Whitman County, a creek pushed waters over Washington 27 between Tekoa and Oakesdale, forcing the Washington State Patrol to close the route. , DataTimes