Another night of heavy rain in the Pacific Northwest turned deadly early Wednesday morning when a large tree crashed into a Portland, Oregon, home, killing a 60-year-old woman.
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Widespread rainfalls totaling between 2 and 4 inches (5-10 cm) accumulated over northwestern OR and southwestern Washington state from Sunday night through Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Excessive rainfall could lead to a rise in area rivers, weather officials said.
In Forest Grove, a Portland suburb, firefighters rescued a driver by boat after she got trapped by a flood early Wednesday.
The Washington Department of Transportation has closed all lanes of northbound Interstate 5, the state’s busiest highway, in an area about 30 miles north of Portland due to a slide that brought rocks and mud onto the road.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) People in the Northwest kept a wary eye on rising rivers and faced another messy morning commute as rain and wind that have caused flooding and landslides kept up the onslaught. The Bureau of Environmental Services urged people to avoid coming into contact with waterways and flood waters.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings Tuesday for parts of OR and Washington and coastal rivers as another storm was forecast for the region later on Tuesday.
Flooding from the Wilson River closed highways east of Tillamook and flooding from the South Yamhill River closed roads in Yamhill County.
The downpours had officials evacuating a neighborhood in Clackamas County, and the American Red Cross opened a shelter there.
A passenger takes a photo as a truck drives through flood waters of the Snoqualmie River on Ames Lak … Several Washington state school districts are either closed or getting late starts Wednesday.
The heavy rain is expected to soak the region throughout the week. The wet weather also forced the Oregon Zoo to close because of flooded walkways. “Now we’re anxious about wind”, said National Weather Service meteorologist Gerald Macke.
“We’ve got road closures all over, landslides, culverts out, roads washed out, buildings flooded”. Flooding could be possible as rainfall totals can reach to 3 to 7 inches or more along areas of the coast and Coast Range through the next couple of days, with 2 to 4 inches possible in the valley. A flood watch for much of northwest OR and southwest Washington remains in effect through Thursday afternoon.
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Many schools are closed and delayed.
