Rain and melting snow bring floods to Washington

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as swollen rivers, mudslides and avalanches engulfed neighborhoods and roadways.

Rising waters led state highway crews to close a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 around Chehalis on Wednesday evening. The state's three major east-west routes across the Cascade mountains also were closed by avalanches and the threat of more slides.

Highway officials hoped to reopen one main east-west route sometime Thursday — likely Interstate 90 across Snoqualmie Pass — "to get people moving and freight moving and supplies moving," said Transportation Department spokeswoman Alice Fiman.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for about two dozen rivers in western Washington and Amtrak passenger train service out of Seattle was suspended due to mudslides.

Fire trucks rolled through Orting, about 10 miles southeast of Tacoma, with loudspeakers Wednesday, advising everyone to leave the town and surrounding valley, home to about 26,000 people. Sandbags were placed around many downtown homes and businesses as the Puyallup River neared record levels..... more.... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090108/ap_on_re_us/winter_weather;_ylt=AnaQJLRsVd1aoZ6e35MJStIPLBIF

The weather has just been off the wall with the way things are happening around the states, i think that we are seeing a change again whether it be good for some and bad for others and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it. in my area of the state we haven't seen as much snow as we have had this year in 8 years, in that 8 years we have had very little water added to our system making the water tables extremely low including our lakes being as low as 6 feet from normal levels. then you have this record snows and rains and if not that your burning up and if not that your blowing away with tornado's, i think this is just the beginning of some really nuts things to happen in our weather.

It started off in oct/nov like it was going to an extra cold winmter this year in Florida but lately its been in the 80's.

The weather is definitely changing!!