Pacific Northwest Drenched by Storm

Winter storms dumped a mixture of snow and rain throughout the Pacific Northwest and into the Rockies on Saturday, while floodwaters rose in the Louisiana bayous and more snow fell in parts of the Midwest.

The National Weather Service said that a slow-moving storm dumped up to a foot of snow in the Washington Cascades. Rain fell along the coasts of Washington and Oregon.

Winds increased to gale force in parts of the region.

More than 20 inches of snow has fallen in the northern Oregon Cascades since Thursday.

A high wind warning was posted until today for southeastern Wyoming and the eastern slopes of the state’s northwest mountains.

Two weeks of heavy rain in Louisiana sent bayous and rivers above flood stage and closed more than 30 roads and highways in the southeastern part of the state. Homes north and east of Baton Rouge were swamped with floodwaters 2 feet to 4 feet deep Friday when the Comite River peaked well above flood stage.

In the Denham Springs area, about 150 single-family homes and house trailers were damaged, a survey showed.

In 1983, the Amite River crested at 40.5 feet near Baton Rouge, the highest crest in 100 years. The river crested at 39.5 feet Saturday, authorities said.

No injuries or deaths had been reported in the flooding.