Rising water from the Chehalis River closed a 20-mile stretch of the interstate for hours Friday in southwestern Washington, state officials said.
Flooding forced the closure of Interstate 5 in Lewis County, about 100 miles south of Seattle, in both directions Friday morning, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Slides and flooding prompted the clossure of other highways, nicludinig state routes 108, 109 and 507, according to the DOT.
Pictures from western Washington showed water had reached the roofs of vehicles with stranded commuters standing on top of them.
By Friday afternoon, conditions in the area were improving and the interstate had reopened because floodwaters “receded faster than expected,” the department of transportation said.
Other parts of Washington state — including regions near Puget Sound — saw flooding Friday after heavy rain and snowmelt. Evacuations were in place in multiple counties, NBC affiliate KING in Seattle reported.
At least seven rivers and creeks across western Washington were under flood warnings Friday afternoon, the station reported.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
