Flood watch: Rivers rising quickly with mountain snowmelt. What to watch out for
The Yakima River will be running high and fast this weekend as mountain snow melt fills it close to the brim.
The river at the Kiona Gauge upstream from Richland, Wash., is expected to rise to 11.6 feet on Saturday afternoon, which is above what the National Weather Service says is the level at which people need to start taking precautionary action but below flood stage of 13 feet.
Residents near the river at Benton City and West Richland should be prepared to secure any belongings near the water and consider moving animals out of low-lying pastures. People should use caution along its banks.
The river at the Kiona Gauge was 5.4 feet deep a week ago and had risen to 9.4 feet on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service expected it to rise faster from Thursday afternoon through Saturday.
Several rivers in Central and Eastern Washington and Oregon could flood, including the Imnaha River at Imnaha, Ore.; the Naches River at Cliffdell and Naches, Wash.: and the John Day River at Service Creek in Oregon.
Cooler weather is coming later this week, which could slow the snow melt in the East Cascade Mountains and conserve its water content for irrigation later this spring and summer.
Summer water supply
The Bureau of Reclamation’s latest water supply forecast for the Yakima Basin said that as of the start of April its five storage reservoirs were at about 76% of average for the start of April.
Precipitation was 59% of average in March and 72% of average for October through March.
However, the snowpack looked better at 94% of average before recent warm weather.
Water from the Yakima River is used by the Kennewick Irrigation District, among others.
Senior water rights will not be reduced this year, but any water shortage would be shared among holders of junior water rights and also might impact KID, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
It expects to release an updated water supply forecast later this week.
In Tri-Cities, the National Weather Service is forecasting another hot day Wednesday with a high of 88. But temperatures will cool from Friday through the weekend.
Friday might be rainy and the temperature could get no warmer than 64. High temperatures should be in the upper 60s Saturday through Monday with a slight chance of rain showers during the days and rain more likely Sunday night.
