Rain totals keep adding up as a huge atmospheric river event unfolds right over northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.
It looks like we should avoid major flooding most places thanks to something that’s really hurt business in the mountains: a lack of snow.
If we were melting snow into the rivers on top of the actual rain amounts we’d be in a world of hurt.
February 1996 we had snow and ice everywhere…all the way down to the valley floor…then brought in an event like this but one that lasted significantly longer.
Anyway, this forecast chart from the River Forecast Center in Portland shows how significantly the Molalla River is forecast to rise in the next 24 hours. Thanks goodness we’re not adding valley snow to this one, right?
Here is a link to current flood warnings, where at least some flooding is expected.
Here are some rain totals as of 1pm:
- 2.28″ Astoria
- 1.73″ Cannon Beach
- 3.29″ Tillamook (Airport)
- 2.21″ Newport
- 4.80″ Mt. Hebo (higher point in the northern Coast Range)
- .79″ PDXÂ
- .84″ Vancouver (Pearson)
- 1.01″ Tigard
- 1.13″ West Linn
- 1.15″ Sherwood
- 1.30″ Salem
- 1.20″ Corvallis
- 1.01″ Eugene
- 1.88″ Timberline Lodge
More updates to follow at times today…that’s why this is a Live Blog…
7pm Saturday updated rain totals
- 3.66″ Timberline Lodge
- 6.21″ Mt. Hebo – Coast Range
- 2.36″ Astoria
- 1.80″ Tualatin
- 1.02″ Vancouver
- 1.01″ PDX
 The Clackamas River looks like it may hit major flood stage at least for a short time on Sunday. At least, that is the forecast.
Sunday afternoon December 21, 2014 Update
So, Portland ended up with 1.07″ of rain on Saturday, still a ways from the record rain of 1.28″ set in 1961.
We did break two record highs on Saturday. Actually, Portland tied the record high of 59 degrees set on December 20, 1974. But the biggest record blown away was in Vancouver: you set a record high of 59 degrees which breaks the old record of 58 degrees set back in 1900!!
Rivers: many are reaching their peak this afternoon and this evening, some have already crested and will now slowly recede. The main stem rivers like the Willamette will keep rising and basically reach bankful by sometime Monday.Â
We dodged a bullet, most places, this time.
Hi Bruce; Those are some serious rainfall amounts- hopefully flooding will be avoided. Here we will mostly have a dry week (some rain tomorrow) and Christmas Day looks partly sunny with near average temperatures. Christmas Day 1972 we had over 4 inches of rain!