Cows find high ground in a flooded field west of Randle in December 2019.
Much of Western Washington, including the Western portion of Lewis County, has again been listed in a flood watch released by the National Weather Service.
The flood watch goes into effect Wednesday morning and is expected to last through Friday afternoon.
“Another round of moderate to heavy rainfall is expected tonight into early Friday,” the National Weather Service posted Tuesday. “Rivers and streams are expected to rise again, with some rivers reaching flood stage as early as Wednesday afternoon.”
The Chehalis, Skookumchuck and Newaukum rivers are predicted to stay well within their banks, but the Cowlitz River at Randle is predicted, as of Wednesday to hit moderate flood stage and crest Friday morning. The river is expected to hit 21.9 feet above sea level — nearly 4 feet above flood stage.
The heaviest precipitation is expected in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.
In the east end of Lewis County, Morton, Ashford, Packwood, Randle and the Paradise area of Mt. Rainier were the subject of a winter storm warning starting Tuesday, with heaviest-hit regions expected to get 10 to 18 inches of accumulation.
That snow warning was due to expire Wednesday morning.
