The rainstorms that will help end fires around Mount Adams will be a mixed blessing, as officials said Friday that the rain could also create large landslides.
Drainages around Mount Adams will be especially vulnerable due to recent fire activity, according to Gifford Pinchot National Forest Ranger Nancy Ryke.
“The Forest Service is working on rehabilitation of the fire area on Mount Adams, however, the big concern with the predicted rains is for public safety,” Ryke said in a press release. “We want to let people know debris flows are a real possibility.”
Rehabilitation Team Hydrologist Tom DeRoo said from his experience the predicted rains may be enough in a short enough time to create landslides.
“This is the kind of storm that can trigger debris flows down channels anywhere around the mountain depending on where the rain goes,” DeRoo said Friday. “This can happen whenever it rains like this, unrelated to the fire.”
He said the most affected drainages will be Cascade, Morrison, Salt and Crofton creeks, along with any of the major drainages around the forest. Weather forecasts call for 2.4 inches of rain in a 24 hour period from Sunday night through Monday. Though the fire area closure order for the entire Mount Adams Wilderness is still in place, people using areas around Mount Adams or any other steep drainage on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument should be aware of potential landslides and flooding, officials said.
