(See updated post above) Well, it's been raining over in Washington State. Actually, it's been some pretty heavy and protracted rain. Numerous rivers are at or near flood stage. However, none of them are remotely near their record high flows. Despite the media hysteria, it looks like a fairly normal runoff event. The snow melt is being contained by the stream channels in an orderly manner. I'd guess that during the "funny money" phase of ridiculous mortgages some people built high dollar houses in the flood fringe or even the flood plain. I would reckon these idiots are getting pounded right now. However, all the rest of civil society in Washington State is doing quite well, thank you!
You can watch all of the snow melt and streamflow mayhem, such as it is, unfold by keeping an eye on the USGS Real Time Streamflow numbers. The "GS," as they are called, maintains a real time data table for every state. It's quite an amazing feat. I highly recommend learning how to monitor streamflows in any given state in America.
Click on this sentence to go to the Washington State real time streamflow page. Surf around until you get the hang of it. Look for the little drop down menu window and choose "Peak Streamflow." This will help you understand just how tame today's flows are compared to the wildness of historical flows. Good luck!
January 7, 2009
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Great resource! Don't you just love the names of rivers in Washington state? I do. I was brought up there and have camped many a time on the banks of rivers with names like the "Hama Hama", "Duckabush", "Cowlitz", Skykomish, Skokomish, et al. As you can see from the list, it goes on and on. And I love the historical perspective. I mean. It rains in Washington. That's what it does most. And best. It rains there!
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