JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore.— Southern Oregon is expecting heavy rainfall on Tuesday with the heaviest amount along the coast.
The Klondike and Chetco burn scars, which are near Brookings, could see around four to six inches of rainfall. This number causes concern for flash floods.
“When those burn scars get a significant amount of rain over a short period of time, there’s a potential for flash flooding,” Charles Smith, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said.
Flash flooding is caused when a large amount of rainfall comes in a short amount of time. With this expected rain, the National Weather Service is issuing a flash flood watch for early Tuesday morning.
“With burn scars there are things like ash on the forest floor,” Smith said. “When you get a lot of rain, it can accumulate on the ash and it can kind of make a river of debris.”
A river of debris can cause many problems by destroying roads and buildings.
In order to keep up with the height of streams and the danger they pose, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management created a brand new application that allows people to keep up with the streams.
“This particular application is highlighting flood data.” Daniel Stoelb, Oregon Office of Emergency Management, said. “In particular forecasts, it’s stream gauging information coming from the advanced hydrological prediction service.”
The application is updated in real time to ensure that residents can track and be prepared for any flash floods that do occur.
“These areas can be impacted by flood waters, approaching personal property or highlighting areas that may have those roads impacted by standing water,” Stoelb said.
Click here for the link to the application.
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