Oregon forecasts heavy rain this week, with a low risk of flooding

by Junna Base November 12, 2024

Oregon is expected to experience heavy rainfall this week, bringing a small risk of coastal flooding, while high tides and flooding could impact US Highway 101.

National Weather Service forecasters said the system is not an atmospheric river, but rather a warm air system that will produce large amounts of precipitation Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

“We’re going to get quite a bit of rain,” said NWS meteorologist Rebecca Muessle. “But it’s not the same type of structure as an atmospheric river.”

In addition, a winter weather advisory has been issued for highways above 5,000 feet in the southern Oregon Cascades for 8 to 16 inches of snow, primarily affecting the Willamette Pass to Crater Lake area on Highways 62, 230, 138 and 58. Precipitation is expected this week Rain falls except at the highest elevations of the Cascade volcanoes.

Rain in Willamette Valley, possible flooding

The forecast calls for about a half to an inch of rain in the Willamette Valley within 24 hours, with the possibility of some more rain in the mountains.

The Coastal Range will be hit hardest, with up to 10 cm of rain possible, which will likely cause rivers such as the Wilson or Willapa to rise. However, widespread flooding is unlikely as most rivers currently have relatively low water levels, said Müßle.

“The likelihood of rivers in the Coastal Range reaching the stage of minor flooding has decreased,” she said.

However, a combination of high tides and heavy coastal rain could lead to some water on coastal roads on Wednesday morning.

It will snow until Tuesday, then it will be mostly rain in Cascades

Oregon’s Cascade Mountains could see up to a foot of snow Monday night into Tuesday at elevations above 5,000 feet. But then the warm system will lead to very high amounts of snow, well over the passes. There could be snow on the passes by the weekend, but for most of this week it will only be rain.

Zach Urness has been an outdoor reporter in Oregon for 16 years and host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at [email protected] or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

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