The governors of Washington and Oregon have both declared states of emergency. We've been hard hit up here by a series of storms that have continued to barrel in from the Pacific Ocean. On Saturday, we got snow (about 4 inches here), which began the meltdown process by Sunday evening. It was weird, because at midnight I looked out toward the streetlight and saw snowflakes falling (which I'd prayed for, thank you very much), but at the same time could hear the drip chorus as the rest of the snow melted.

Some rain and wind came in on Sunday -- I remember it being a somewhat mild day for us -- but believe that was the day the coastal areas really got pummeled by the wind (and possibly into Monday?). The Puget Sound area was protected from those heavy winds by the Olympic mountains to the west, but everyone else, from Bellingham down to Oregon, got hit hard.

Monday didn't arrived; it was washed in. Between midnight and 7 a.m., the Seattle area received around 4 inches of rain. Crazy. We've had a number of torrential downpours since then, including into Tuesday.

In Western Washington, during record storms like this, talking about "flood plains" is almost silly. When these storms hit, you've got hills, and you've got flood plains. Unless you live on a hill, the possibility of experiencing some flooding is almost guaranteed. Thankfully, it's pretty hilly around here, so the chance of owning a home above sea level is good. 

A number of roads have been closed off because of this week's flooding, and I've including a picture of what's probably the most stunning example -- the closure of I-5 at Chehalis (south of Olympia, I think). This picture is jaw-dropping. Please keep everyone who was affected harshly by this storm -- including the grieving families of three people who lost their lives -- in your prayers.

If you still can't believe this picture, the road in the middle of it is I-5, our "mainline" to Oregon and California. Many of the big trucks bringing in groceries and goods aren't able to get through, unless they come over the Cascade passes...which at this time of year can be quite impassable. The North Cascades Highway, in fact, is closed until further notice.

For more information on what many up here are dealing with, you can check out: Record Flood Leaves Whole Communities Under Water.