Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Cowlitz River at Randle, and at least one other river on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains.
Heavy rain overnight and today will drive the river over its banks this afternoon and the water will continue to rise until about 10 o’clock tonight, according to the weather service’s current forecast.
Moderate flooding is expected.
The area in Randle and downstream through Riffe Lake can expect to see many farmlands and even U.S. Highway 12 inundated with water, according to the weather service.
The weather service advises the public to be alert for rapid changes and monitor developments by listening to NOAA Weather Radio or other local media.
Flood stage at Randle is 18 feet, and the river is forecast to crest at 21.5 feet.
Sheriff Steve Mansfield cautions that water at that level would affect Highway 131, Skinner Road, Peters Road and could even cross Highway 12 in downtown Randle.
The sheriff’s office, emergency management and the Randle Fire Department are monitoring the situation, according to Mansfield.
At about 10 a.m. today, when the flood warning was issued, the level was measured at just under 10 feet.
Mansfield notes that large flooding events in the Randle area in the past were in excess of 22 feet; the flood of record in 2006 recorded at 25.2 feet.
A flood warning is also in place for the Nisqually River near National, with minor flooding expected.
Early this afternoon, authorities advised all visitors on the west side of Mount Rainier National Park to leave, as heavy rains at higher elevations caused dangerous conditions. The Nisqually entrance was temporarily closed because of flooding in the Kautz Creek area.
“This ‘rain on snow’ event is similar to conditions that were present when the historic flood occurred in November 2006,” Mount Rainier Acting Superintendent Tracy Swartout stated in a news release just after the lunch hour.
The sheriff suggested it is a good time for members of the public to review their emergency action plans. He urges people to not drive through flooded areas, as that is the number cause of deaths related to floods in Washington.
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Check for weather alerts here [1] and follow river levels here [2]. (These same links can always be found on the right hand sidebar of this news site, under the heading, “Other useful web links”)