High Winds, Heavy Rain, Snow Hit Northwest Coast

High winds, heavy rain and snow whipped coastal areas of Oregon and Washington on Sunday, prompting wind and flood warnings for much of the region, while mild weather set records in at least three Midwestern states.

Record rain, snow and wind gusts to 100 m.p.h. slammed into Oregon, and forecasters warned of another storm on the way off the Washington coast. Gale warnings were posted along the Pacific Coast from Washington to Northern California.

Flood warnings were issued for the Alsea, Siletz, Wilson, upper Tualatin and Nehalem rivers in western Oregon, and for small streams in southwest Washington and the Puget Sound area, the National Weather Service said.

Rainfall amounts since Saturday morning included 3.34 inches at Astoria, Ore., 2.78 at Olympia, Wash., and 2.71 at Tacoma, Wash. Portland residents waded through 2.33 inches of rain, shattering the city’s old record of 1.16 inches, set in 1963.

Advisories for Snow, Wind

The rain changed to snow over parts of the western mountains and the northern Rockies. Travelers’ advisories for snow and gusty winds were posted for the Washington Cascades and the mountains and passes of western Montana.

In the Cascades, three inches of snow an hour was falling at Snoqualmie Pass, which was closed, and Stevens Pass.

Wind speeds of 84 m.p.h. with gusts to 100 m.p.h. were recorded at Cape Blanco on the southern Oregon coast early Sunday. Utility crews worked in at least two coastal Oregon counties, trying to repair scattered blackouts.