First good rain of fall covered the region

Fall came in with a splash over the weekend, dousing the region with the first good soaking of the season.

Clouds scudded and mustered for action as a cold front rumbled in from the West beginning in earnest Saturday, bringing a raft of moisture along with it.

While no record, the 1.79 inches of rain falling over the weekend raised a minor ruckus on Vashon Island, closing a stretch of roadway because of a mudslide.

The Skokomish River in Mason County hit flood stage by 5 a.m. Sunday, before subsiding along with the rain.

The King County Flood Warning Center was briefly opened after minor flooding on the Tolt River, which also diminished as the weather dried up Sunday.

But the first good rain of fall rattled skylights and sopped thirsty ground around the region, arriving at times in silvery sheets as atmospheric rivers of moist air streamed through the region.

By Sunday afternoon, the drama was over, but not before the rain freshened autumn colors just starting to stoke trees. Squirrels splashed through puddles with their acorns, all business as they stocked up for winter.

Dog walkers got a good soaking from dripping street trees. Earthworms cruising over wet garden soil and sidewalks gave anyone out and about Saturday night in the glow of streetlights an eerie thrill.

Of course it was nothing like the record rainfall in Seattle nearly seven years ago to the day, when nearly 5 inches fell in a 24- hour period.

While there were no injuries then, by the time it was over, flood warnings were posted for 10 Washington rivers; residents in Concrete and Marblemount in Skagit County were evacuated; and rain gauges in the Olympics overflowed. Landslides closed Highway 2 at Stevens Pass, and a hunk of Highway 112 gave way near the Makah Reservation as a sinkhole opened 150 feet wide and 40 feet deep.

The National Weather Service's local storm report Sunday morning showed this was just a bitty rain compared with that: Montesano in Grays Harbor County got the most, with 3.4 inches in the 24-hour period from 10:30 a.m. Saturday to the same time Sunday.

Carnation got 2.5 inches and North Bend received 2.2 inches.

The west slopes of the high Cascades got twice as much rain and more, a good start to the wet season that local meteorologists have predicted could be a wild ride.

The reason is La Niña conditions near the equator, where the ocean is colder than usual. That typically signals a wetter, snowier winter.

City utility managers are urging residents to get out and take a good look at storm drains at the curb and to clear leaves and any other debris that could clog them.

Now is also the time to stock up on emergency supplies at home, in case of power failures or flooding.

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com