The only difference between adventure and disaster is preparedness.

Monday, May 16, 2011

High Flows on the Columbia River

From the Portland National Weather Service

Heavy rains and snow melt throughout large portions of Washington and Oregon during the past several days are leading to increasing water flow along the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam this week.

Current river forecasts for the Columbia River near Longview indicate that river levels will exceed bankfull levels during the high tide cycle, at least through Thursday, but will stay below flood stage. Flood stage at the Longview gage is 13.5 feet, bankfull is 12.0 feet. The Columbia River may reach just over 13 feet during the high tide around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday and be just under 13.0 feet during the high tide on Tuesday and Thursday.

These are higher than normal springtime river flows for the Lower Columbia region. These types of flows will likely inundate some normally dry low lying areas.

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