Flood — Cowlitz, Washington

2019-02-12 · near Kalama, Cowlitz, Washington

Event narrative

Both ramps of I-5 northbound at Kalama exit 30 were closed and under water. Many other roads in the area were under water. Rain and runoff also created problems for Kalama's water treatment plant, prompting the city to shut the plant down due to high turbidity from slides along Kalama River Road.

Wider weather episode

Back-to-back low pressure systems dropping south along the coast of British Columbia and Washington brought cold air south into SW Washington as well as plenty of moisture. Locations in the Columbia Gorge saw 1 to 2 feet of snow. At lower elevations, a near stationary frontal boundary Monday night into Tuesday morning dropped several inches of rain over portions of Cowlitz County causing flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.0203, -122.8484)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 810374. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.