Flood cleanup begins in northern Whatcom County, but snow has started to fall Tuesday
Volunteers began removing debris from downtown Sumas early Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the wake of floodwaters that inundated homes and businesses last weekend and fears worsened for more flooding.
“There’s probably 40 to 50 people,” volunteer Randy Small of Lynden told The Bellingham Herald.
“(The water) has receded almost completely in the main area of downtown,” said Small, who operates that Whatcom County Weather page on Facebook.
People split up into teams and were loading soaked belongings and other items into trailers and metal containers for disposal, Small said.
Nooksack Valley schools were open Tuesday, but Sumas Elementary opened two hours late.
City of Sumas posted on Facebook that Sumas Christian Reformed Church was serving coffee and doughnuts for residents and volunteers and pizza for lunch.
John Garrett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, said about 120 homes and about two dozen businesses suffered significant damage in Everson, Nooksack and Sumas.
A preliminary damage estimate was about $750,000, Gargett told The Bellingham Herald.
Roads still closed
Many roads remained closed around Whatcom County, according to the county’s website, mostly with water and debris over the them.
Gargett said that firefighters and search and rescue personnel responded to some 40 drivers whose cars were stuck in floodwaters from Friday until Tuesday.
Going around a roadblock is a $400 fine, Gargett said.
More rain forecast
But the threat of more rain looms with a series of warm Pacific storms poised to douse the Northwest.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle cautioned that rivers and streams could rise again this week and a flood watch was issued Tuesday for Western Washington.
But flooding isn’t as much of a concern yet in Whatcom County, because current estimates at NOAA’s Northwest River Forecast Center show the Nooksack River will peak Friday below flood levels.
Tuesday snow
Meanwhile, a cold front lingered early Tuesday and snow was beginning to fall in northwestern Whatcom County, as Washington State Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed collection on the along the side of Interstate 5 at 8:15 a.m. The roadway appeared clear.
Snow began to accumulate on grass near Guide Meridian and Main Street in Lynden, according to WSDOT traffic cameras.
Flurries were reported in Bellingham, Barkley Village and Sudden Valley.
Forecasts call for snow through Tuesday afternoon, with accumulations of less than an inch in Bellingham.
Snow level was 200 to 400 feet north of Seattle, the weather service said in a statement to reporters.
“As a reminder, this will not be a snow that sticks around long,” NWS Seattle tweeted. “Any lowland snowfall will turn to rainfall this afternoon and evening and quickly melt anything that accumulated on the ground.”
Snow will change to rain overnight, the weather service said.
Wednesday will be rainy with a high temperature near 50.
Rain is forecast through Friday at least, with daytime temperatures in the high 40s.
David Rasbach contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 8:48 AM.
