Flood watch and landslide warnings issued

The National Weather Service office in Portland has issued a flood watch for northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington from this afternoon through late Friday night.

Heavy rainfall has already broken one-day records in several areas, including McMinnville, and is expected to continue over the next few days.

Low elevation snow melt is expected to add to the deluge, bringing rivers even higher.

The heaviest rainfall is expected to fall this afternoon through Thursday afternoon, with 1.5 to 2.5 inches expected in the valley.

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries added a warning to be alert for landslides on water-saturated hillsides.

“Be aware that flood hazards are accompanied by landslide hazards,” DOGAMI engineering geologist Bill Burns said. “Be extremely cautious, and avoid areas where landslides are more likely to occur.”

Burns said that DOGAMI's interactive SLIDO map helps identify areas that are susceptible to landslides: www.oregongeology.org/slido.
People, structures and roads located below steep slopes in canyons and near the mouths of canyons may be at serious risk. Dangerous places can include:
- Canyon bottoms, stream channels, and areas of rock and soil accumulation at the outlets of canyons.
- Bases of steep hillsides.
- Road cuts or other areas where slopes of hills have been excavated or over-steepened.
- Places where slides or debris flows have occurred in the past.
For more landslide and debris flow information visit the website http://bit.ly/landslidehazards