Soggy weather to wallop parts of Western Washington through Monday

A Pineapple Express of soggy but balmy weather is swelling rivers and streams along the Cascade spine, with rivers in some areas expected to crest Monday.

Flooding was reported on the region's usual suspects — the Snohomish, Skykomish, Tolt, Green, Cedar and Cowlitz rivers — at stages ranging from slight to moderate levels.

Although the National Weather Service warned residents to avoid driving on flooded roads — the most common cause of flood-related deaths — a man and woman had to be rescued late Sunday by boat after driving their car down a flooded road near Fall City.

With daytime temperatures hovering at an unseasonably warm 50 degrees, melting snowpack mixed with heavy rains was predicted to continue Sunday night.

Many of the rivers under flood warning were expected to flood between Sunday night and early Monday. Most were expected to crest by Monday afternoon, said meteorologist Dennis D'Amico with the National Weather Service.

Rain was forecast to be heaviest along the Pacific Coast, in the Cascades and its foothills, and in Southwest Washington.

Less rainfall was expected in the lowlands of the Puget Sound region, where one-half to 1 ½ inches of rain was possible, according to the National Weather Service. In Seattle, forecasters warned of south winds of 20 to 30 mph.

The weather was hammering some roads and highways, including Highways 202 and 203 near Fall City. Highway 202 was closed late Sunday, and water sloshed over Highway 203 in several spots.

A severe mudslide last Thursday closed the West Valley Highway, which will likely remain closed through Tuesday.

Residents in the flood zones prepared for the worst. "My house is getting flooded, but there's nobody else here to help" at work, said Micki Thomas, of Greenwater.

Thomas was tending a full bar at Greenwater's Naches Tavern. "This is the place everybody goes. I'm a little stressed out here. I hope the rain stops soon."

Cowlitz at flood stage

On Sunday, fire crews went door to door in low-lying areas of Randle in eastern Lewis County, advising people to evacuate if water levels continued to rise.

The Cowlitz River in Randle, where some 2,883 people live, was predicted to rise to 23 feet, well above the point of major flooding, by 4 a.m. Monday. Highway 12 and Highway 131 were closed by late Sunday as water covered the roadway, cutting off one of the routes across the Cascades.

The area is familiar with flooding. In 2006, a man drowned after driving through water that swept his truck away.

Bonnie Slagle, who lives on a farm near the river, said farmers and residents were moving cattle and cars to higher ground. But Slagle said Sunday evening that flooding was not as critical as 2006.

"I've been here for 25 of these, and this is really just an average flood," said Slagle, a photographer.

Shelby Atkinson, 20, a waitress at Huff 'N' Puff Drive-In in Randle, said "a lot of people" had voluntarily evacuated to a campground near Glenoma. "They think the power may go out," said Atkinson, 20.

Fire crews Sunday also advised residents in the low-lying areas of Packwood in Lewis County to monitor Cowlitz River conditions and be prepared to evacuate, if necessary. The river was expected to crest there at 10 p.m. Sunday.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for portions of the following rivers in Western Washington: Skagit, Stillaguamish, Green, Skookumchuck, Skykomish, Snohomish, Tolt, Snoqualmie, Skokomish, Carbon, Puyallup, Nisqually, Deschutes, Newaukum and Satsop.

Landslides were expected to still be a serious risk, at least until midweek, when the region should start drying out.

One-way, alternating traffic was allowed Sunday on Highway 112 in Clallam County, near the Makah Reservation, after a massive slide dumped 3,000 to 4,000 cubic yards of mud over the road late Friday. Crews were working to reopen both lanes of travel.

Also Sunday, BNSF Railway approved restarting Sounder and Amtrak passenger train service north of Seattle. The railway had been closed to passenger service after a mudslide hit the main tracks last week just south of the Everett depot.

Freight traffic had resumed earlier.

All lanes of Highway 410 were reopened Sunday afternoon after heavy rains resulted in the blocking of all lanes westbound and eastbound at Forest Service Road 73, at milepost 50, east of Greenwater near Crystal Mountain, the State Department of Transportation reported.

In addition, all westbound lanes were closed on the highway at Federation Forest State Park, at milepost 42. The park is just west of Greenwater.

The road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park was closed Sunday morning due to avalanche, landslide and flooding danger. Park rangers hoped to reopen the road Monday but said it would depend on the weather.

Seattle Times reporters Janet Tu, Jonathan Martin and Marian Liu contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.