More heavy rain, flooding on the way for Whatcom. Here’s when
Another Pineapple Express is expected to drench Western Washington late this weekend, raising new threats of flooding along the Nooksack River early next week.
This narrow band of heavy rain from the South Pacific, known as an atmospheric river, arrives Sunday, Nov. 14, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
And the storm will be packing gusty southeast winds that could cause scattered power outages Saturday night through Monday, Nov. 15.
A break in the rain early Saturday, Nov. 13, should allow the Nooksack River and others in Western Washington to recede slightly, said meteorologist Matthew Cullen in the online forecast discussion Friday, Nov. 12.
But stormy weather returns Saturday night, along with a cold front.
“With the cooler air in place, snow levels will begin relatively low but will rise quickly again as another plume of moist subtropical air approaches,” Cullen said.
“This could lead to a quick few inches of snow at Mount Baker and even Stevens Pass, but with abundant moisture and rapidly rising snow levels it shouldn’t amount to much or linger too long,” he said.
And the next round of rain looks like it’s aimed directly at the Olympics and the North Cascades, including Bellingham and Whatcom County.
“There’s still a decent spread in terms of just how much rainfall may fall with this next atmospheric river, but given that many rivers may still be running high, there likely will be renewed hydrologic concerns for the basins which end up under this heavy band,” Cullen said.
Breezy conditions with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph and potentially stronger are possible for Snohomish County northward near the water, the weather service said online.
“Although these aren’t the strongest winds, the continuous period of breezy winds, along with saturated soils, may increase the risk for impacts on power outages and tree damage, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, forecasts from NOAA’s Advanced Hydrology Prediction Service and the the Northwest River Forecast Center show the Nooksack River rising rapidly Sunday night.
And a flood watch was extended through Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Forecast models for Whatcom County show the Nooksack cresting between minor to moderate flood stage at measuring stations for Acme, Nugents Corner and Ferndale on Monday night, Nov. 15.
Travel on Highway 9 could be affected because of flooding Sunday, said Wallace Kost of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.
“The Nooksack River will rise beginning in the evening on Saturday,” Kost said in an emailed statement.
“The Nooksack is currently receding but will not reach low levels prior to the next storm front arriving (Saturday) night. Impacts to Highway 9 could begin late Sunday and continue into late Monday night or even Tuesday. Impacts in the Cedarville area (Nugents Corner) could also begin Sunday night and continue into early Tuesday morning,” he said.
“Everson could see some impacts going into early Monday morning with the river level above flood stage for about 48 hours. The Cedarville Gauge shows the Nooksack rising to moderate level flooding by early Monday morning,” Kost said.
Landslides will remain a possibility as the ground remains waterlogged after two weeks of rain.
“Rainfall amounts of 3-8 inches over the past seven days has led to high soil moisture levels across western Washington. Additional rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches across the lowlands and 4-6 inches across the mountains is expected with the next system impacting the region through Friday. This will continue to put extra pressure on soil instability and lead to an increased threat of landslides,” the weather service said online.
Temperatures will remain seasonally mild Sunday, but cool dramatically to about 10 degrees below normal early next week.
That means daytime highs in the 40s and overnight lows in the 30s for Bellingham and lowland Whatcom County.
Cold weather expected Tuesday, could be good news for winter sports enthusiasts.
Mt. Baker Ski Area got 4 feet of snow last week, only to see most of it melt with the first warm atmospheric river, could open late next week if snows return.
“Given the amount of snow we currently have on the ground, which is a lot, and if we are not totally washed out by the storms, we could be opening as early as the end of next week. Keep snow dancing, cross your fingers and keep checking back here,” the ski area said Friday at its website.
