The latest storm in the pineapple express will focus on Oregon into Friday evening. Some streams and rivers will quickly surge to major flood levels, posing risks to lives and property.
Another dose of the Pineapple Express will affect the Pacific Northwest to close out this week, but this time, the main focus of rain and flooding will be on Oregon, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Some drenching rain will also fall on Washington, which may aggravate high water levels, but it is not expected to be as extreme as recent flooding.
A general 4-8 inches of rain is forecast to fall on western Oregon, with slightly less in the Interstate 5 corridor near Portland. From 8-12 inches of rain with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 16 inches is projected for the western slopes of the Oregon Cascades.
This amount of rain will be enough to unleash moderate to major flooding along both small streams and rivers in western Oregon. A few locations may experience crests close to record levels, such as in the Portland area. Motorists should be prepared for areas of high water and road washouts. Mudslides are also a danger with the storm.
The small streams and the short-run rivers in the Oregon mountainous areas will surge in a matter of hours, adding to the dangers. In the flatter terrain of the lower elevations, the rivers will rise, crest and fall over a matter of a few days.
Rainfall in western Washington will range from 0.50 of an inch to 4 inches, with the greatest concentration in the southwestern part of the state and the southern Washington Cascades. People living along streams and rivers in Washington should be prepared for a new surge of water, but not to the levels experienced in the past week or so, which approached records in some areas…