PORTLAND, Ore. — Sustained heavy rain Monday washed away the last of the slush left over from Portland's recent ice storm, but it also pooled into roadside floods in a couple spots in the metro area, creating new headaches for drivers.
A strong storm is moving into the region, according to KGW meteorologist Joe Raineri, so the heavy rain and other severe weather were expected to continue on Tuesday.
The Portland area was expected to see between 1.5 and 2 inches of total rainfall in the 48-hour period from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service, with even higher totals expected in most of the surrounding areas.
Other parts of northwest Oregon had their own weather issues to contend with Monday, including a winter storm warning still in effect for the Gorge, high winds and waves at the coast and a few more flight cancellations at Portland International Airport due to severe winter weather elsewhere.
Portland's rain trouble kicked off in the early afternoon Monday when a large puddle formed along the side of a stretch of Highway 30 near the Sauvie Island exit.
Partially submerging the eastbound lanes and causing at least one driver to spin out as they plunged through. The flooding persisted into the evening, creating an ongoing hazard for drivers.
Localized roadside flooding also caused traffic problems along Interstate 5 to the north of Vancouver Monday afternoon, prompting the Washington State Department of Transportation to temporarily close multiple onramps in the evening due to standing water blocking the road.
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory at 10:28 p.m. Monday for the following two hours for all the Portland metro counties, asking the public to avoid flooded roads and to be cautious and aware while driving at night