Latest Weather Briefing Information

The National Weather Service (NWS) held a weather briefing this afternoon to discuss heavy rain and potential flooding. The good news is that Cowlitz County and SW Washington may escape high river levels but Oregon will not. There is a flood watch for our county as there may be impacts due to high creeks, streams and overfull culverts. None of the major rivers are expected to exceed their banks or reach flood stage.

So the forecast is there will be rain and strong winds over the next few days. See below for the most recent forecast.

Thursday Afternoon: Rain. High near 43. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday night: Rain. Low around 35. Calm wind becoming south southeast between 5 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday: Rain. High near 45. South southeast wind between 8 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South wind between 14 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday: Rain. High near 46. South southwest wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.
See the attached slides from the weather briefing for further details.

More storms on the horizon for next week. Check the NWS website regularly for additional information: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/

The road closure page is up and running for those Cowlitz County roads impacted by the weather. Go to: http://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/dem/roads/ for details.

Note: For those who have been checking the Cowlitz River gauge near Kelso it is back in service. NWS technicians repaired a modem at the Hall of Justice this morning.
http://bit.ly/wGHUpA