Pacific Northwest braces for new storm

SEATTLE – Heavy rain and strong wind gusts were blasting the Pacific Northwest after a one-day break from a series of storms that killed at least two people in Oregon. Snow was expected in higher elevations.

The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a winter weather advisory for Saturday through Sunday afternoon. With a snow level set at 2,500 feet, the region’s mountains were bracing for snow and traffic officials at mountain passes were advising and in some cases requiring traction tires.

Forecasters expected 1 to 2 feet of snow to fall in the Cascades and up to a foot in the Olympics.

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed the High Cascades, Diamond Lake and Carter Lake highways Saturday afternoon because of blizzard conditions.

The Red Cross has set up shelters in Oregon and Washington for people affected by flooding, road closures, landslides and power outages.

In Washington, the Red Cross shelter is at Kelso High School. In Oregon, the disaster resource center is at Clatskanie High School.

The new storm followed a series of storms that caused rivers to overflow their banks, sent boulders and trees onto highways and spawned a rare tornado that hit Battle Ground, Washington, on Friday with 100-plus mph winds.

The federal government set early damage estimates in Oregon at about $15 million. In Washington, damage estimates were pegged at $5million.

White Pass on U.S. 12 in Washington remained closed Saturday as transportation crews tried to stabilize a section of road that was washed out in recent storms. The damage and closure of the road forced White Pass Ski Resort to shut down operations just as the mountains were seeing heavy snowfall.

Transportation officials said they had several areas of concern – a rockslide and three washouts.

The storms continued to cause headaches for drivers in Clark and Cowlitz counties in Washington.

Two lanes of northbound Interstate 5 north of Woodland will remain open, but a single lane will remain closed indefinitely after a recent landslide sent debris onto the roadway, the Washington state Department of Transportation said Saturday.

Engineers continued to monitor the slope’s stability.

“By keeping a single lane closed, traffic will continue to move safely while we develop our next steps for stabilizing the hillside,” said Kris Strickler, southwest regional administrator for the Department of Transportation. “We appreciate the hard work of the crews clearing the debris from the slide and appreciate the patience from the traveling public.”

No additional debris was expected to hit the open lanes, thanks to concrete barriers.

Transportation officials planned to install monitoring devices to track potential for further movement of the slope.

Slide strikes house

A landslide reportedly struck a Camas, Washington, house early Saturday evening, breaking a gas line and starting a small fire.

Firefighters arrived shortly after 5 p.m. and had secured the home shortly after, according to scanner reports. No injuries were reported.

Following the slide, residents reported a fire starting near the electric meter behind the three-story house.

The home sits in a cul-de-sac beneath a steep hill.