Heavy Rain — Multnomah, Oregon

2015-10-31 · near Gresham, Multnomah, Oregon

Event narrative

Heavy rain combined with clogged drains from leaves resulted in urban flooding. The Portland Fire and Rescue received 32 calls in regards to street flooding, and assisted travelers in 5 cars from their stalled or trapped cars to dry land. Four roads were closed in the area for high water, and several Max lines were cancelled due to flooding under bridges. Thirteen Max trains were damaged by water and will be out of service for up to 2 weeks. One roof collapsed from the weight of rain water after the roof drains had been clogged, and several homes or businesses had flooded basements. A tree had fallen onto and damaged a parked car.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving cold front associated with an atmospheric river of subtropical moisture produced heavy rain across Northwest Oregon that resulted in urban flooding for the Portland metro area. High rain rates and clogged drains (from shedding of tree leaves) contributed to the flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.5000, -122.4300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 601425. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.