Record rain causes Seattle-area mudslides, flooding, and road closures

Record-breaking rainfall across Western Washington on Monday wreaked havoc across Western Washington and the problems persist on Tuesday.

Roads are flooded, and all the water forced some businesses to close.

As of Monday afternoon, Seattle rainfall totaled 3.73 inches in 48 hours.

Taco Time in Des Moines along Kent Des Moines road was surrounded by water on Monday and shut down just before lunch. An employee said customers were driving in reverse to exit the drive-thru lane to try and avoid the worst of the water.

“It’s something else. It’s definitely wild. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this before,” said Jake Pardo, a lifelong Des Moines resident.

All the rain also triggered several mudslides in King County. Valley Regional Fire tweeted about a slide near SE 323 St on 105th PL SE in Auburn.

In Bellevue, the same spot that saw a water main break and mudslide destroy a home in the Somerset neighborhood last month was impacted by another mudslide Monday afternoon.

A small slide at 9750 Rainier Ave S in Seattle also impacted traffic.

The River Bend Golf Complex in Kent was closed on Monday because of flooding.

“If it wasn’t flooding, rain or not, you see people out here. But because it’s a little worse today, that’s why we didn’t open up,” said James Mafua, a golf course employee.

In Kent, 81st Ave S between S 196th St and S 198th St was shut down all day because of nearly half a foot of water over the road.

“This is as bad as it’s ever gotten,” said Janelle Pritchard of Alexander Party Rentals, one of the businesses in the industrial park impacted by the flooded road.

To keep customers safe, the business has been calling customers and advising them to drop off rentals at a later date.

“In the past, we’ve had cars get stranded,” Pritchard said.

Find an interactive map of road closures or a list of closures here.

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