It hasn’t rained much in months. So why was there a mudslide on Chuckanut Drive?

The sun’s out — has been for almost two weeks straight. In fact, since the first day of May, Whatcom County hasn’t even accumulated an inch and half of precipitation at Bellingham International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Seems like we shouldn’t have to worry much about mudslides on Chuckanut Drive, right? Don’t you actually need rain — or at least water — to start a mudslide? Especially when it’s dry enough to force a burn ban?

Believe it. An unexpected mudslide closed one lane of Chuckanut Drive — and the popular Interurban Trail — about a mile south of Teddy Bear Cove on Wednesday.

It took WSDOT crews two hours to reopen the road, spokesperson Andrea Petrich said.

“No, there was no random rain storm just along Chuckanut Drive yesterday,” she said.

The mudslide was actually man-made by the Chuckanut Crest Community, according to Christ Thomsen, operations manager with Whatcom County Parks and Recreation.

“Their water association confirmed that their water system operator was flushing a hydrant,” Thomsen said. “That work initiated the debris flow.”

The Interurban has been closed until an estimated 40 yards of debris can be cleared off it, Thomsen said

Thomsen said parks staff was meeting with Chuckanut Crest Community representatives to develop a plan to initiate repairs and reopen the trail.