By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A flood watch first issued Thursday for portions of Western Washington including Lewis County has been extended through Monday afternoon.
Yet another system expected to bring substantial rainfall late today through tomorrow, combined with high snow levels of 8,000 to 9,000 feet could drive many rivers over flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.
For comparison, White Pass is at an elevation of 4,500 feet.
The potential is for minor to moderate flooding, the weather service’s mid-day forecast notes.
The Cowlitz River at Randle is forecast to exceed flood stage by the most and crest sooner than most rivers around Lewis County.
By 10 p.m. tomorrow, the river could be just over major flood stage of 22 feet.
Lewis County Fire District 14 Chief Jeff Jaques said at that level, “it’s not going to inundate a bunch of homes or anything.”
However, Jaques said this evening, he expects U.S. Highway 12 will be under water and closed with a detour on Silverbrook Road at Randle. And state Route 131 out towards Cispus will likely be covered with water well, he said.
“Fortunately we don’t have a lot of snow in the mountains like we did in 2006,” he said.
In November 2006, rain combined with a big snowmelt lifted the Cowlitz River to just over 25 feet devastating areas around Randle and Packwood.
The fire chief said it was reasonable dry today and only began raining a few hours ago.
It’s not a huge issue until it gets around 23 to 24 feet in Randle, he said.
The community saw levels of about 22 feet in both January 2009 and November 2008, according to Jaques.
Within the past hour, the weather service changed its expectation of the river at Randle, now forecasting it may crest at just over 23 feet around 10 o’clock Monday morning.
A flood watch means conditions are favorable for flooding but flooding is not imminent or occurring.
Two to five inches of rain are expected in the Cascade and Olympic mountains through tomorrow.
The ongoing wet weather has prompted cautions about potential mudslides around Western Washington and also an avalanche warning in the mountains through tomorrow.
The Newaukum River near Chehalis is forecast to crest about a foot over flood stage around 10 o’clock tomorrow morning.
The Skookumchuck River at Bucoda is also forecast to crest about a foot over flood stage but not until 10 p.m. tomorrow night. It’s expected to remain below flood stage in Centralia.
And about 10 a.m. on Monday, the Chehalis River at Centralia and Grand Mound is expected to crest between one and a half and two feet above flood stage.
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Watch the river levels and their forecasts for yourself here [1] now or, anytime, by clicking on “River levels” under “Other useful web links” on the right hand side of Lewis County Sirens pages.