It appears November is coming in like a lion and staying that way.
Lewis County and all of Western Washington are forecast to receive a significant rainstorm beginning on Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.
“(It) probably will be a very impactful storm,” said Trent Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. “A good widespread moderate rainfall event.”
Davis said lowland areas could receive up to 2 inches of rain while eastern parts of Western Washington near the Cascades are set to receive closer to half a dozen inches of precipitation thanks to an incoming “funnel system.”
The rainfall is set to begin Thursday, stay mostly constant throughout Friday and begin to “taper off” somewhat on Saturday and Sunday, he said, “But (even) then we’ll have more showers pop up throughout the day.”
While the event is set to have some impact on the Cowlitz and Chehalis rivers, he said, neither are forecast to flood at this time. The Chehalis River near Doty is expected to be about 7 feet higher on Saturday morning than it was on Wednesday afternoon.
Davis advised that residents take the “normal precautions” during the rainstorm, including monitoring drains and gutters for extra fallen leaves in order to avoid overflow, as winds are also expected to increase on Friday. Municipalities should also monitor drains for extra debris, he added.
“Stay home if you don’t have to be traveling anywhere and if you need to, just add some extra commute time,” Davis said.
While the rainfall should begin to scatter on Saturday afternoon and into Sunday, precipitation is forecast for most of next week as well.
Strong winds will have the potential to cause power line damage and outages, according to Lewis County Emergency Management in a Facebook post.
“Now is the time to prepare for these winter storms,” the post stated.
Follow the Lewis County Emergency Management Facebook page for more updates related to flooding and more.
