Beeps From Alerts

The rain gauges in the area have been dry or only with dribble amounts over the last water year that ended October 1st, with unusual cloudbursts or muggy type weather throughout the summer and through September. When we would have expected a wet October, a dry, cold set in for most of the month. November felt more like October and up til now December has been mild and rather dry.

All of that changed since, for the last week, alerts have been pinging bells on our cell phones, news reports decry possible flood issues for Washington, Columbia and Tillamook Counties. Mudslide dangers in areas of the Columbia River Gorge are worrying travelers on paths and roads. Local forecasters say the reports are being triggered by ‘a river of rain’ coming off the ocean and swirling up the Willamette Valley in a weather system (storm).

Here on the farm, we started to do a little prep work like observing that gutters were not completely plugged and thinking about putting down a little rock on our most used paths, but that was about all. Monday was about the same but we also thought about checking the trenches around the barns to stem the liquid slurry of rainwater mixed with manure that happens with heavy rainfall. Tuesday was busy with delivering firewood and the daily chores so no time to think about possible later-in-the-week problems. Wednesday gave us some time in the barn bundling firewood in preparation for the next delivery that is scheduled to be moved up a day because of Christmas. Wednesday evening into Thursday gave us a third of an inch of rain and we were beginning to realize that we had only been thinking about preparations and not actually doing them.

Thursday into Friday gave us a good soaking rain that lasted most of the day. My usual check of the rain gauge showed over the last 24 hours we picked up over 3 inches of rain. We had a couple of ‘blow-outs’ on the logging roads that were punched in by the dozer two years ago. During the hardest rain, Mike spent quality time cleaning out and digging the ditches so water didn’t sluice down the steep slopes and dig gouges into the road. While he was working at maintaining the roads, I had my trusty shovel plus a square shovel in an effort to reopen those trenches around the show barn as the slurry kept filling them in. And we never did get more rock put onto the driveway or the path that we walk to the barns.

As of this writing, flood watches(not yet a warning at this point) have been expanded beyond the Coast Range, into the Willamette Valley and as far as the Cascade foothills.

The flood watch will remain in effect through Sunday morning with rainfall totals expected to be up to 8 inches. Looks like the next couple of days will include more digging, trenching and getting muddy while we vow that we will be better prepared for the next storm.

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