Heavy rains are predicted to deluge the western half of the state this week, and flooding is expected in parts of the Willamette Valley and the Canby area — with the Pudding and Clackamas rivers and Johnson Creek being among the most likely targets.
A National Weather Service advisory forwarded to The Canby Current by the Canby Fire District Monday including the prediction that heavy rains would pelt the area until early Wednesday morning, with two to three inches of accumulation expected in the Portland metro area alone.
For comparison, weather officials advised Clackamas County to expect “higher rain totals” than those experienced during the storms of Dec. 20 through Jan. 1 — which indeed caused flooding, debris flows and road closures in several areas.
“The ground is already saturated, so most of the rain will become surface runoff,” NWS officials advised the fire district and other emergency management agencies in the area.
The City of Canby and Canby Fire have set up a self-service sandbag station for those who need it, near the city maintenance shops on North Redwood Street off of Territorial Road.
“Also, please check your street gutters and storm drains,” Mayor Brian Hodson advised on Facebook. “Please take 15 minutes to clear them of any debris. This will make sure water keeps flowing where it needs to go.”
“Thank you, Mayor Brian Hodson,” one resident quipped in reply. “I had not heard that we would be needing the ark this week.”
