By
Seattle Times breaking news reporter
Take a deep breath and brace yourselves, Seattle. It’s about to get real wet this week.
“Atmospheric rivers are taking aim at us,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Dustin Guy. “For Seattle, that spells very, very wet weather.”
A wind advisory and flood watch will converge Monday as the week kicks off with heavy rain, Guy said. For metropolitan areas, that means flooding in the roadways and small-stream flooding that could make commuting a mess Monday afternoon and into the night.
Flooding in counties across northwest and west-central Washington, including King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, is likely through Friday afternoon. Excessive runoff may occur in rivers coming from the Olympic and Cascade mountains as they get 8 to 10 inches of rain.
Rivers across Western Washington are set to experience major flooding starting Monday night or Tuesday, according to predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Those include:
Snoqualmie River at Snoqualmie Falls and near Carnation;
Skykomish River near Gold Bar;
Puyallup River near Orting;
Cowlitz River at Packwood and Randle;
Skagit River near Concrete and Mount Vernon.
Other rivers are expected to reach the “moderate” flood stage, including the Snohomish River in the city of Snohomish and near Monroe. And particularly high tides this week could contribute to flooding along northern Puget Sound coastlines.
“Hopefully by now, people have cleared their storm drains and gutters,” Guy said. “Because that will cause some issues.”
Beyond clearing those drains, take a look at safety tips on how to prepare for heavy rain and flooding. Make sure to prepare an emergency kit stocked with a radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit; keep rain gear and warm clothing handy; and never drive into standing water.
High winds could knock down tree branches and cause power outages Monday, Guy said. Portions of northwest and west-central Washington could see south winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph through 10 p.m. Monday.
If your power goes out, report that outage and any downed power lines to your utility company, and check out some tips for how to get through an outage. Among the best practices: Use flashlights and light sticks over candles, and pick up floor clutter to avoid stubbed toes.
And keep that phone battery charged. We’ve got some tips for that, too. Charge your devices, such as backup batteries and laptops, ahead of time so you can use them to charge other devices later. Turn on low power mode and avoid phone-draining activities. So no online gaming, unfortunately.
And as if that weren’t enough, saturated ground soil topped with all the rain this week could cause landslides, Guy said.
It’s hard to know when and where they may hit, so keep a watchful eye on the hills near your home for signs of land movement.