Recent landslides could be just the start in Western Washington

A forecast of heavy rain Tuesday and Wednesday is prompting the National Weather Service to issue a landslide warning for lowland Western Washington, including Whatcom County.

An inch or more of rain is forecast through Wednesday, further undermining soil that is “unusually saturated” for March, meteorologists said in a weather statement issued Tuesday morning.

Some 4.82 inches of rain has fallen so far this month, according to National Weather Service figures through Monday, compared with a normal figure of 2.79 inches.

Landslides have blocked two major Whatcom County roads this month already.

Chuckanut Drive from Fragrance Lake Road south to Pacific Rim Drive closed through March 23 for cleanup of several slides that occurred starting March 15. Rocks and debris fell onto the highway between mileposts 12 and 14 south of Larrabee State Park. An early estimate of the damage caused by the first rock slide, which knocked out part of a concrete railing, is $51,000, said Marqise Allen, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Lake Whatcom Boulevard was closed Wednesday through Saturday last week after a slide at the Dutch Harbor Preserve near Strawberry Point in the 2500 block. The road was open for residents, but through traffic, including school buses and Whatcom Transportation Authority buses, was detoured on Lake Louise Road.

Rain will ease to showers Thursday, with sunny skies forecast Friday. Rain returns Saturday, with partly sunny skies possible Sunday.

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Recent landslides could be just the start in Western Washington."