Some who provided flood surveillance in the northwest were asked to evacuate
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Neighbors in Washington state were preparing for possible flooding as “atmospheric rivers” once again threatened parts of the northwest, with heavy damage earlier in the month due to extreme weather.
People in the small communities of northwestern Sumas and Everson in Washington were asked to voluntarily evacuate Saturday night, The Bellingham Herald reported. The two towns near the Canadian border were hit by extreme flooding from the previous storm.
An emergency alert said road closures in the area could begin early Sunday morning.
A large portion of western and central Washington has been given flood watch for the weekend, and the National Weather Service has warned that flooding could occur until Sunday.
Heavy rain and rising rivers were also expected over the weekend in the Cascade Mountains in the central part of the state and on the Olympic Mountains near the coast.
“We expect the rivers to rise, and flooding may occur in some places early tomorrow morning,” Gary Schneider, a meteorologist at the Seattle National Weather Service office, said Saturday morning. “Right now, there are no river floods.”
Schneider said that if the floods happened, it would probably happen on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Advertisers say an atmospheric river — a large plume of moisture extending to the Pacific Ocean and northwest — could bring 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain in some areas affected by the recent floods.
The state is still valuing millions of dollars in damage from the last storm, attributed to an atmospheric river.
In northwestern Whatcom County, Washington, officials said the cost of the damage could reach $ 50 million.
Recent floods closed the U.S.-Canada border at Sumas and three bridges in Bellingham, and landslides blocked Interstate 5 south of Bellingham.
The atmospheric river incident this weekend shouldn’t be as “serious” as it was earlier this month, Schneider said.
“It’s still going to be a pretty decent rainy event, but (flooding earlier this month) was kind of a historic event. So we don’t expect that to happen again, ”Schneider said.
Meteorologists predict that there will be less rain on Sunday and a fairly dry Monday.
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Sara Cline is a member of The Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit service program that puts journalists in local newsrooms to cover up hidden issues.
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