A day of heavy rain caused two already swollen Clallam County rivers to top their banks Thursday morning, and continued stormy weather is expected to drop at least a foot of snow in the Olympic Mountains this weekend.
“[The coming storm] will provide a lot more snow,” said Art Gaebel, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
The storm, expected to arrive early this morning, is going to be colder than recent storms, and the snow level could drop to about 3,500 feet elevation, he said.
The Olympic National Park information hotline at 360-565-3131 reported 1.94 feet of new snow with 68 inches — more than 5 feet — at the snow stake.
The weather service issued an alert for heavy rain and mudslides in Clallam and Jefferson counties Thursday.
Jefferson County
There has been no notable flooding or other damage in Jefferson County, said Keppie Keplinger, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management.
At 2 p.m. Thursday, Jefferson County was getting heavy rains, and the emergency management department was on alert for mudslides caused by the downpour, said Tanda McMillan, community operations officer at the agency.
Thursday morning’s storm dropped 1.68 inches of rain at William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles, 2.66 inches at Quillayute Airport near Forks and 1.62 inches in Quilcene, according to the National Weather Service website.
The Elwha River crested at 20.1 feet at 9 a.m. Thursday, topping the official 20-foot flood stage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at McDonald Bridge.
The Bogachiel River crested at 38.87 feet at 8:45 a.m., more than a foot above the 37-foot flood stage, according to the gauge located near La Push.
As much as 6 inches of rain fell on parts of the central Olympic Mountain range, according to the weather service.
Both rivers’ levels dropped below stage by 1 p.m., and no damage was reported from the rivers’ rise.
A wet winter has led to saturated soils across Western Washington, and Wednesday’s storm added to the moisture load.
“This amount of rain will put extra pressure on soil instability, leading to an increased threat of landslides,” the weather service alert said.
Olympic National Park
No new closures were announced for Olympic National Park, which had been hard hit by earlier winter storms.
Hurricane Ridge Road is scheduled to be open today through Sunday as weather and road conditions allow.
The park reported high winds and surf on the coast.
The park recently reopened Sol Duc Road after a long closure due to snow and damage from earlier storms.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and the campground are closed for the season.
Olympic Hot Springs Road in the Elwha River Valley remains closed due to major road damage caused by earlier floods.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
