SEATTLE - High winds and heavy rain in Western Washington eased up early today as a storm system moved inland.
"It will be a quiet day today," said KING 5 Meteorologist Rich Marriott. "There may be a thunder shower but we'll see a break in the steady heavy rain and the wind."
Overnight winds gusted into the 40-50 mph range with heavy rain and flooding rivers. Strong winds toppled trees and power lines, leaving utility crews busy overnight trying to restore power to thousands of customers left in the dark.
Some high winds reported during the storm by the Weather Service: Hoquiam 70 mph, Bellingham 58 mph, Everett 46 mph, Bremerton 39 mph, Sea-Tac Airport 35, Olympia 36.
A flood warning is in effect for the Skokomish River near Potlatch, the Puyallup River near Orting, the Stillaguamish River at Arlington, and the Satsop River near Satsop.
A flood watch is in effect for Grays Harbor, Lewis and Thurston counties.
Some of the worst flooding Monday was along the Skokomish River in Mason County. A five-mile section of Highway 101 was closed by flooding and mudslides Monday night near Hoodsport. By noon, one lane was opened.
Mudslides also blocked Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks at north Seattle and near White Rock, British Columbia. Spokesman Gus Melonas said both slides were cleared by midmorning and freight trains were rolling.
A high surf advisory remained in effect until 8 p.m. for the north and central Washington coast.
The National Weather Service says the combination of high surf and high tides will cause water levels to rise higher than normal, resulting in minor tidal overflow in low-lying areas.
The NWS says higher than normal tides the next couple of days may help waves push further up the beaches than people normally expect.
Large waves can be powerful enough to sweep unwary beach walkers out to sea, and people can be seriously injured by debris tossed about in the waves.
Forecasters say another series of storm systems will roll through the region Wednesday and through the weekend.
"Wednesday will start quietly before another strong storm pushes into the area later in the afternoon for increasing rain and wind," said Marriott. "Once again the storm will pause over us on Thursday for a very wet day again, but winds will not be as strong as our last storm."
Marriott says steady rain should turn back to off and on showers on Friday for a little break, before yet another storm moves in later on Saturday.
" It looks like the wet pattern will continue through the week next week, all the way through Thanksgiving," said Marriott.
Snow levels were near 5,000 feet early Tuesday morning; Marriott expects that to drop to 2,000 feet in the afternoon, with three to six inches of new snow in the mountains by Wednesday morning.
Storm causes flooding on Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast was battered by high winds and flooding in some places as a winter storm rolled into the Northwest.
In Seaside, high winds blew the roof off the old city hall on Broadway. The building was set to be turned into a coffee shop and was undergoing remodeling. There were no reports of injuries. Witnesses said it looks like part of the roof came off and the construction fencing blew into the building.
Meteorologists issued a flood warning as well as high surf and high wind advisories through Tuesday, with seas climbing up to 30 feet.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Jonathan Wolfe said one to two inches of rain fell in just the past 12 hours on the Oregon coast.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said Monday evening that about a foot of water covered U.S. Highway 101 just south of Seaside and traffic was being temporarily restricted to "high-profile" vehicles.
Portland General Electric responded to a handful of power outages in Oregon City and Forest Grove. In Vancouver, crews responded to downed trees and a number of power outages.
