Washington schools close because of storm

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for much of northwest OR and southwest Washington.

Portland has endured more than 5 inches of rain in three days, almost as much as falls in all of December in a typical year, and Seattle exceeded its normal December rainfall tally in just 8 days, the National Weather Service said.

Another barrage of heavy rains Tuesday hit the Portland area and western Washington and the rain sodden ground, shoving period to flood as residents in certain communities stacked sandbags prevent further flooding.

Many roadways were closed Tuesday night and passenger rail service was halted in the Portland and Seattle areas.

The city of Wheeler also declared an emergency, Josi said, after the road cracked open and damaged the water system. The Bureau of Environmental Services urged people to avoid coming into contact with waterways and flood waters.

A chain of Pacific storms that began last week has caused heavy, sustained rainfall in Portland, causing the city’s combined sewer system to overflow. Flooding continued, causing Kane at 257 near Mount Hood Community College to close.

Flooding from the Wilson River closed highways east of Tillamook and flooding from the South Yamhill River closed roads in Yamhill County. “Driving through flooded roads could cause your auto to be swept away or stall in the middle of high water”, the department said in a Facebook post.

The National Weather Service’s flood watch for much of northwest OR and western Washington remains in effect through Thursday afternoon.

Several Washington state school districts are either closed or getting late starts Wednesday because of a rain and wind storm that is starting to subside.

This NOAA satellite image taken Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, at 1:00 PM EDT shows an area of low pressure over the Pacific Northwest. The watch includes the greater Portland metro area, north and central Oregon coast, the central Willamette Valley, the central Columbia River Gorge, the north and central Coast Range, and the northern Oregon Cascades and Cascade foothills. The college will remain closed through Tuesday night due to the weather and flooding. The next bout of heavy rain is expected during the Tuesday evening rush hour.

Portland, Oregon has had its wettest single day on record, and there is more rain to come.

Flood warnings remain in effect for almost a dozen rivers in Washington state.