OREGON CITY, Ore. — Willamette Falls at Oregon City raged all day Monday as water from Eugene and elsewhere surged over its top.
Fishermen at the nearby Meldrum Bar watched as countless logs floated past in the fast current. They've seen this before.
“This is normal, absolutely normal,” said one fisherman.
But others like Jim Crisp are taking no chances. He's decided to pull his boat out of the marina.
“I just remember back to '96…and better safe than sorry,” he said.
The epic floods of 1996 will not be repeated during the current storm.
Water levels on the Clackamas River rose quickly Sunday. The Clackamas at Estacada is expected to barely reach minor flood level. The river is expected to start going back down by Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Willamette at Oregon City is just getting going. It’s expected to rise through Wednesday, but not hit a flood stage before then begin to ease back down Friday.
“It’s kind of eerie. It’s so powerful,” said Sharlene Croydon as she watched the Clackamas flow past from her car at Clackamette Park.
It is impressive to see how quickly our rivers respond to heavy rain.
“I thought wow. I used to be able to see something down there...now it's ducks and geese and water,” said Kendra Bonk as she looked at the brown water against the shoreline.