A forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Portland tells OPB rain will continue to fall this weekend.
Andy Bryant told OPB's Geoff Norcross Friday morning a record was set Thursday in McMinnville. Portland fell short of a record, but had more rain in one day than has been seen in more than 50 years. Portland had almost two inches of rain Thursday but didn't break the 1950 record.
Bryant said the rain has been more of an issue than snow since snow fell only as far as the Portland metro area earlier this week. "Snow melt can be a factor ... in this event, certainly rain is the main factor," he said.
Six to 8 inches of rain fell on the Willamette Valley and came so quickly that it's overwhelmed small creeks and rivers.
"That's why we've seen such tremendous flooding on some smaller creeks and river that normally you don't hear much about -- places like Mill Creek in Salem and the Mary's River around Corvallis," Bryant said.
"The rain just didn't quit. It went on for close to two days. That's why we saw rivers that kept climbing and climbing," Bryant said.
One to 3 inches of rain are expected Friday afternoon and evening in the Portland metro area and to the west in the Coast Range.
"The focus is going to be a little bit more to the north, so we're looking at, here in the Portland metro area and areas to our west in the coast range, like the Nehalem River and the Wilson River, we're going to see rises there and the potential for some flooding," he said.
Bryant told Norcross more stormy weather could also come later next week.
