The National Weather Service issued flood warnings Friday for areas near rivers in Washington, Clackamas and Marion counties.
The warnings come after this week’s rain that includes record-breaking precipitation for Feb. 16 in Portland, McMinnville and Eugene, according to the weather service. Friday brings a break before another stretch of precipitation beginning late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
The Tualatin River near Farmington in Washington County measured 32.1 feet with a flow of 10,043 cubic feet per second at 9 a.m. Friday. The river enters flood stage when levels surpass 32 feet and 9,730 cfs. Forecasters say the river should crest at 32.4 feet Friday night and drop below flood levels by Sunday morning. Flooding could occur on numerous fields, low-lying farms and secondary roads near Tualatin and Farmington.
The Pudding River near Aurora in Clackamas and Marion counties measured 21.7 feet with a flow of 6,428 cfs. The river enters flood stage when levels surpass 22 feet with a flow of 7,000 cfs. Forecasters say the river should surpass flood levels by noon Friday and could crest at 22.8 feet by Saturday morning. Minor flooding could happen on low-lying agricultural lands and access roads along the river.
Downtown Portland measured 1.97 inches of rain Thursday, breaking the record 1.55 inches in 1970, and the 1.7 inches at Portland International Airport also broke a record. The previous record for Feb. 16 at PDX of 1.42 inches was also set in 1970.
Rainfall in McMinnville and Eugene on Friday broke records set in 1970. In McMinnville, weather monitors recorded 1.58 inches, breaking the 1.53-inch record. In Eugene, 1.69 inches fell, breaking the 1.45-inch record.
The sun breaks Friday morning and afternoon won’t last long as the next weather system approaches from the south, according to the weather service’s mid-morning forecast.
Forecasters are expecting a strong system to dump substantial rain in the Portland area and mountain snow Saturday night and Sunday morning. They expect more storm systems to follow early next week and bring more rain, dropping snow levels to the Cascade passes. That could make travel through the mountains difficult for travelers, according to the weather service.
Visit OregonLive.com/weather for an hourly breakdown of today’s weather and more details to the five-day forecast.
— Tony Hernandez
thernandez@oregonian.com
503-294-5928
@tonyhreports
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