Heavy rain closes roads -- and it's not done yet

SEATTLE -- After hours of intense rainfall in Western Washington, road crews went to work blocking off streets Friday morning, impacting the morning commute for thousands.

Road crews reopened Auburn Way SE near 4th street shortly before 5 a.m. after closing that major roadway for hours. Heavy rain collected on Auburn Way SE near highway 18 significantly impacting several motorists.

Crews were able to block the road off before any cars got stuck. Then workers cleared the clogged drainage ditches to allow the water to run off. The road was reopened to traffic just in time for the morning rush. M Street in Auburn was also closed for several hours but is now back open to traffic.



However, other roads across the area remained closed as a small break in the rain brought little respite.

Chelan County in Eastern Washington had a number of significant road closures. Num. 1 Canyon Road had a large amount of water and mud blocking the roadway, causing a temporary road closure. Tarpiscan Road was damaged by heavy water and debris and closed at Milepost 1/2. Eagle Creek Road, Colockum Road and Icicle Road also had mudslide problems, causing intermittent blocking. Chelan County crews worked to clear the roads by time another set of storms rolled in.

State Route 410 was expected to be closed until Saturday from Milepost 105 to 108 for a mudslide. A detour was available via local roads. Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass was also closed eastbound early Friday morning due to a semi-truck fire.

A sinkhole opened on South 96th Street in unincorporated King County Friday morning. The roadway was closed in both directions at 7:05 a.m. The sinkhole was about 20 feet long and 4 feet deep. Drivers were advised to use 8th Avenue South and Des Moines Memorial drive until the road reopened.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue through late in the day Friday. This weekend, temperatures will again warm up into the 70s, with sunny skies.

Rainfall records across Western Washington were broken Thursday.