News

Heavy rain causes problems on roads

PACIFIC, Wash. — Torrential rain in Western Washington has caused water to pool on roads and soaked hillsides to come crashing down.

More rain accompanied by wind will continue through Thursday night, and though there will be a brief break on Friday, another round of rain is in store for this weekend and early next week.

The next big soak is forecast for early Wednesday evening.

Part of an abandoned house was torn apart after the hillside above gave way in Pacific in the 36100 block of West Valley Highway Wednesday morning.

No one was hurt.

Rochelle Ogershok with King County said the slide was at the same site of another slide that occurred two weeks ago.

Another mudslide struck a car east of Sedro Woolley when mud and debris came down on the South Skagit Highway.

In Bellevue, the city is under a flood watch because up to 3 inches of rain has fallen since Tuesday morning.

There is water over Southeast Seventh Place north of the Lake Hills Connector. The city said street crews will continue to scout the areas that are prone to flooding and cautioned drivers not to drive through standing water.

Small streams and creeks are likely to have some minor flooding.

Residents may call the city's 24-hour phone line at 425-452-7840 to report flooding, water main breaks and sewer overflows.

A water main broke in the Surrey Downs neighborhood in Bellevue Wednesday morning, but it is not known if the incident was weather-related.

In Thurston County, crews have been battling a mudslide on Prather Road Southwest near Grunenfelder Road Southwest.  Water, mud and debris have continued to slide in the area since an initial slide on Feb. 18 occurred after a series of heavy rainstorms swept through the region.

In the mountains, an avalanche caused the closure of US 2 over Stevens Pass. An avalanche warning is in effect for the western slopes of the Cascades because a heavy warm front bringing snow and rain continues to add to current snow loads and weaken recent layers of heavy snow.

The rain is also causing rivers to swell, and  many portions of Western Washington are under a flood watch through late Thursday night.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.