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Heavy rainfall in the Columbia River Gorge today has prompted the National Weather Service of Portland to issue a flash flood warning for the sections of the Columbia River Gorge burned in the Eagle Creek fire.
A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the Eagle Creek Burn Area due to a report of heavy rain. Rainfall amounts may be high enough to cause rockfall and debris flow in and near the Eagle Creek Burn Area. https://t.co/9ksqcpmoHV
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) March 12, 2019
"At 2:45 pm, a trained weather spotter nearby reported very heavy rain amounting to the quarters of an inch over the span of 20 minutes," the NWS advisory reads. "Rainfall of this magnitude may be enough to cause rockfall and debris flows in and near the Eagle Creek Burn Area."
The flash flood warning remains in effect until 4 pm today. And NWS cautions that "flash flooding is a very dangerous situation," in which areas located below steep slopes or near canyons can be crushed by quickly moving landslides and debris flows.
The advisory area spans from Ainsworth State Park to Warrendale, impacting Interstate 84 and the Old Columbia River Highway.
The Eagle Creek Fire tore through the Gorge in September, 2017. Numerous burn-area recreation sites are still shuttered. Among the new dangers created by the fire: a greater potiential for landslides in places where trees and other foliage died.
