Water-soaked commute: 2 inches of rain floods streets, snarls traffic

By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter

	MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES A pedestrian gets doused as vehicles surge through flooded streets along 44th Avenue West near Interstate 5 in Lynnwood yesterday. More than 2 inches of rainfall yesterday clogged storm drains and caused street flooding.
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Cars stalled in high water. Roads were blocked. Windshields turned to foggy aquarium glass. Rivers swelled, and throughout the day everything seeped, dripped or surged during the rain- and wind-driven battle between nature and public works.

At least the first round ended yesterday with county- and city-street departments finally getting the upper hand, despite more than 2(inches of rainfall, which clogged storm drains and caused street flooding that commuters aren't soon to forget.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reported 2.6 inches of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 4 p.m. yesterday.

Some of the worst was in Seattle, where flooded intersections and closed roads turned cross-town commutes into hourlong battles. Fourth Avenue at Union Street downtown flooded, spilling onto the sidewalk and blocking the intersection.

"We call it Lake Union," Chantelle Oliver, manager of a nearby dental office, said yesterday. "It's really a small lake out there."

The street flooding was a result of a vigorous Monday-night rain- and windstorm that stripped trees of leaves and clogged drains.

But the worst is likely over, says National Weather Service meteorologist Jay Neher. By late today, the temperature is supposed to drop to the mid-40s, and less rain is predicted for the week.

Meanwhile, flooding from the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers continued to block streets last night.

Around 5:30 a.m. yesterday, King County activated its Flood Warning Center for the second time in two months. Both the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers were expected to flood low-lying areas — especially pasturelands — and some roads in the Snoqualmie Valley, said Logan Harris, a spokesman for King County's Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

By yesterday afternoon, Tolt River levels were beginning to recede, but officials were keeping a close eye on the Snoqualmie River, which continued to rise.

The weather service expected the river to crest downstream early today at 58 feet, 4 feet above flood level. More rain could force the river to rise again.

Though little damage was reported to Eastside homes or businesses, seven soccer fields at Redmond's Marymoor Park were under water yesterday, Harris said. The west entrance of the park was being used as a turnaround for drivers, because sections of West Lake Sammamish Parkway were closed.

In Kirkland, a section of Lake Washington Boulevard was closed.

Bellevue was pounded with nearly 2 inches of rain within 12 hours yesterday. High water forced some road closures. On 148th Street, Bellevue's biggest north-south arterial, both southbound lanes and one northbound lane were closed.

"All the Microsofties use that road," said Bellevue police Officer Michael Chiu. "To get around the closure is a nightmare."

City street sweepers worked 10-hour shifts to clear leaves blown by the strong winds, which were causing drainage problems.

Mike McCrea, owner of Farm Depot in Redmond, had 3 inches of water on the floor of his business when he arrived yesterday morning. Just two weeks ago, it was 6(inches deep.

"I'm flooding, my neighbors are flooding, the streets are closed," McCrea said. "This is a busy part of Redmond, and our businesses are suffering. This is the third time in a month."

McCrea and his staff spent a large part of the day cleaning up the store in the 6800 block of 180th Avenue Northeast. Unlike October flooding, little activity was reported in Snohomish County by emergency-management agencies, although several rivers were put on flood-watch status, meaning their levels were being monitored.

Generally, however, no urgency was reported.

It was a similar story north on the Skagit River, where last month rising water levels threatened downtown Mount Vernon and sent water into several low-lying communities such as Hamilton.

Meanwhile, rain and poor visibility prevented work crews from checking out the latest North Cascade rock slide, which, once again, stranded those in the tiny town of Diablo, Whatcom County.

The slide worries Seattle City Light officials because 37 employees live in the town, site of the power stations for the Diablo and Ross dams.

The weather "is making things difficult," said Larry Vogel, City Light spokesman.

A rock slide Nov. 9 first stranded the town. One lane was cleared for emergency traffic, but Monday's slide blocked the town again.

"It's too dangerous to work on it," Vogel said. "We can't assess the condition of the slope itself, how stable or unstable it is. It's a pretty touchy place to be right now."

But power to Seattle is not affected, he said.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com.

Staff reporters Leslie Fulbright, Sara Jean Green and Peyton Whitely contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company