High rivers caused the closure of several roads around the area
CLARK COUNTY — The potential for low elevation snow didn’t pan out overnight, but plenty of people around Clark County woke up to find that torrential rains overnight had pushed area rivers to the brink and, in some cases, over their banks.
An Area Flood Watch was issued by the National Weather Service for Clark County, as well as parts of Portland’s west hills, and Washington County. Some places reported as much as 5 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. That Flood Watch was canceled this afternoon as heavy rain ended, though some localized areas could see more rain through tomorrow morning. Wednesday is expected to be mainly dry before another wet system moves through Thursday into Friday.
In Ridgefield, crews closed several roads as creeks and rivers flowed over them. Even North Main Avenue was underwater for several hours, and Rieman Road was closed while crews cleaned up debris washed over the road.
Near Amboy, Jessica Reeves shared photos of Chelatchie Creek rising into her backyard.
In La Center, Jennie Karlsen watched as Lockwood Creek roared over its banks.
And in Battle Ground, Trish Merrill woke up to a new pond in her backyard as drainage fields were overwhelmed by the heavy rain and, in upper elevations, melting snow.
Further north, the ramp from Northbound I-5 to Kalama was closed until around 4:30 p.m. due to flooding. Washington State Police Trooper Will Finn tweeted video of the flooding, and says he was surprised to see a truck stalled out in the floodwaters.
Kalama – NB I5/Exit 30 – CLOSED! A motorist attempted to drive through the deep water. Not advised! Doesn’t look like this will be cleaned up anytime soon! pic.twitter.com/2gWGOENsR9
— Trooper Will Finn (@wspd5pio) February 12, 2019
Emergency responders around the area said that was far from the only vehicle to try and challenge raging waters, only for drivers to find themselves stuck for a while.
The city of Battle Ground posted on its Facebook page, letting residents know that sandbags are available at the Public Works Ops Center at 1308 SE Grace Avenue. Bring your own shovels. You can find up-to-date information on road closures via the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) Facebook page here.
