By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the Chehalis River in the Centralia area following heavy rain overnight with continued showers expected over the next 24 hours.
Lewis County Emergency Management reminds the public weather systems are unpredictable, and encourages folks to monitor the news media for updates.
Weather watches and warnings from the weather service’s Seattle forecast office can be found here; river level information can be found here. (Also on sidebar of Lewis County Sirens)
The watch issued about 10:20 a.m. today for Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties reports the waterways most at risk of exceeding flood stage are the Chehalis at Centralia, Grand Mound and Porter; and the Skookumchuck near Bucoda.
Any flooding that does occur is expected to be minor, the forecasters note.
The Newaukum River is expected to crest below flood stage.
The watch is in effect from 4 p.m. today through late Friday night.
A high wind advisory remains in effect until early evening in much of Western Washington with expected winds of up to 30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph.
The intensity of the rain produced some small stream and urban flooding overnight, as well as a few landslides elsewhere, according to the weather service.
A flood watch means conditions are favorable, but flooding is not imminent.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter