Worst of storms appears to be over

WATERLOGGED: The month's rainfall nearly broke November's record.

By Rebecca Nolan The Olympian

THURSTON COUNTY

Rain is in the forecast again today, but the worst of last week's storms is over with no new flooding in sight.

The Chehalis and Deschutes rivers in Thurston County and the Skokomish River in Mason County were all below flood stage Saturday evening, and water levels continued to fall.

The recent series of storms brought Thurston County within inches of breaking the November rainfall record set in 1962, the National Weather Service reported.

As of midnight Friday, 14.09 inches of rain had fallen this month at the Olympia Airport, said Jim Jones, a weather service meteorologist.

The November record is 15.51 inches, he said.

"It's been a heavy month," he said. "But I dorft think we're going to break this record."

Despite a forecast of rain today, continuing through Monday and possibly Tuesday, it will be "nothing like we've seen in the last week," he said.

Residents can expect onand-off rain for the next five days or so, Jones said. The highest rainfall month recorded in Olympia was January 1953, when 19.84 inches fell.

Two Mason County road closures were the only remaining aftereffects of the storm Saturday. State Route 3 at Allyn remained closed by a mudslide, and state Route 106 between @ails Road and state Route 3 was closed to one lane, the Department of Transportation said.

The Chehalis River near Grand Mound crested Friday at 6 feet above flood stage, and the high waters were moving through Grays Harbor County on Saturday.

Rebecca Nolan covers law enforcement for The Olympian. She can be reached at 754-4226.

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