Flooding becomes a reality as lowland snow melts

The possibility of urban flooding in some areas of Western Washington is very real if we get as much rain as weather models say we could.

Check current weather conditions

We could get up to 3 inches of rain in the next 48 hours. Combined with the melting snow from this week’s storm, it could be enough to cause problems for some flood-prone areas.

The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a Flood Advisory for Central Pierce County and Central King County. The advisory is in effect until 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Photos: The February snow storm

Dana Felton of the National Weather Service says areas that still have a lot of snow, such as Eatonville or Bonney Lake, should prepare for possible urban flooding as the snow melts with the rain. Other areas that could experience flooding include Puyallup, Snoqualmie, Enumclaw, Graham, and Edgewood.

However, Felton says we shouldn’t worry too much about the rivers flooding.

“Since the rivers are starting from such a low level, it looks like maybe the Skokomish — which is very flood prone — will be one of the only rivers that floods,” Felton said. “Maybe the White River as well. Right now, the list of rivers that are going to flood looks pretty short.”

As flooding occurs, Washington still recovering from the storm

The storm that blanketed Western Washington in snow Monday and forced school districts to shut down is still impacting thousands of people.

Many King County school districts have delayed starts and buses are running on snow routes. Up north, in Whatcom County, several districts remain closed.

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According to the Puget Sound Energy Outage Map, 6,055 customers were still without power as of 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday. PSE crews have been working constantly to restore power to its customers. Tens of thousands were without power after the storm.

It’s going to get wet

KIRO 7 Meteorologist Nick Allard says he received several reports of lowland snow Wednesday morning. However, that snow is not sticking.

People from Yelm, Puyallup, Kent, and West Seattle reported seeing some snow. The only places it will stick, however, are in areas with higher elevations and possibly near Hood Canal.

At this point, most areas are or will soon be above freezing, Allard says.

By Thursday, Allard says we can expect most remaining lowland snow to melt.

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