2nd week of February to start on a quiet note across the Northwest
To say that it has been a wet start to the year across the Pacific Northwest would be an understatement, as numerous cities observed record stretches and amounts of wet weather. Looking ahead to the second week of February, a stretch of dry weather is finally in store for the region.
The town of Forks, Washington, observed what seemed to be never-ending rainfall to start the year, breaking multiple January precipitation records, including most days with measurable precipitation (31) and wettest January ever (30.78 inches).
Not only was it the wettest January on record, but the 30.78 inches of precipitation was also the all-time wettest month for the entire calendar year for the city.
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A man drives through a flooded roadway, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, near Littlerock, Washington. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) |
On Friday, a helicopter rescue team saved a man who fled to his rooftop for safety from his flooded home. Rescue crews continued searching for people stuck in floodwaters into the weekend, according to Oregon Live.
The East Oregonian reported that the Oregon Army National Guard with the Umatilla County Search and Rescue airlifted 26 people to safety on Friday.
Oregon Department of Transportation shared videos and images of water rushing over Interstate 84, which is a major freeway that links Idaho and Oregon. Other images shared on social media show large semi trucks stuck in the floodwaters.
Earlier we shared a photo of how the flood waters scoured the roadway along I-84 at MP 187 near Echo in #easternOR. Here is some earlier footage from how it got that way. You can see how fast the water was moving. #orwx pic.twitter.com/4ioipDbDvA
— OregonDOT (@OregonDOT) February 7, 2020
Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in counties across Oregon due to severe flooding, increased snowmelt, erosion, and landslides. Oregon's coast is also set to get a thrashing from king tides this weekend.
"Fast-moving, severe floods have required the evacuation of residences and shut down critical roads in northeastern Oregon," Brown said.
The dry weather and sunshine that returned to the region Sunday is expected into Tuesday as high pressure continues to promote a tranquil weather pattern.
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If the dry forecast verifies for places like Seattle and Portland, that would be the first three-day dry stretch of dry weather observed in those cities since late November.
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A return of dry and settled conditions will not mean that all hazards left behind from the rainfall will come to an end. Because of the persistence of the rainfall to start the year, the ground remains saturated, especially across the Cascades and points west. Even with dry conditions in the forecast, an elevated threat for landslides will persist for some time.
Lingering hazards will continue across the high terrain as well through the coming week. Round after round of mountain snow over the previous weeks will continue to keep the avalanche threat high despite dry conditions.
The weather pattern is expected to become more unsettled across the region for the latter part of the week, and may continue through the middle of February.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
