SEATTLE – Heavy rain is sweeping through the Seattle area on Friday, creating widespread water-accumulation problems in low-lying and urbanized districts.

While rain-soaked roads and standing water are common during seasonal storms, Friday the breadth and speed of accumulation have been notable. Urban drainage systems are being challenged.

In particular, neighborhoods with older infrastructure or heavy pavement cover are seeing water pooling at intersections, storm drains backing up, and slower-moving surface runoff.

Keep reading for live updates on weather in western Washington.

10:27 a.m. – Snoqualmie road report

Transportation officials say roads are bare and wet with areas of standing water along I-90 in and out of Snoqualmie. WSDOT has a mountain pass travel time report available on their website.

9:12 a.m. – Car slides up over I-5 highway barrier

The high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane was blocked just after 9 a.m. on Friday as commuters navigated increasingly slick roads due to quick accumulation across the Puget Sound region.

WSDOT reports a car ended up hanging over the concrete highway barrier along I-5 South just past NE 130th in Seattle. 

8:54 a.m. – Crash on West Seattle Bridge

A crash on the West Seattle Bridge was blocking the right westbound lane just west of SR 99 for about an hour-and-a-half.

8:40 a.m. – Safety precautions urged for residents and drivers

Officials advise residents and motorists to exercise caution. The AlertSeattle system emphasizes:

8:30 a.m. – What this means for the coming hours

According to forecasts and past storm-behavior for the region:

• Additional rainfall could further saturate soils and drainage systems, increasing the chance of flooding, especially during any short bursts of heavier showers.
• Roads may become slick and visibility reduced; hydroplaning risk is higher when standing water remains.
• Smaller creeks and drainage channels are likely to remain elevated, potentially spilling over into adjacent streets or properties if the rain persists.
• Once rainfall eases, water may remain standing for longer periods in flatter neighborhoods or where drainage capacity is constrained.

8:25 a.m. – How residents can prepare now

• Sign up for flood alerts from King County and AlertSeattle.
• Avoid all shortcuts through flooded streets; turn around rather than risk getting stuck.
• Move vehicles off low-lying streets if flooding is anticipated.
• Clear leaves and debris from gutters and near storm‐drain inlets; blockages slow drainage.
• If your home begins to flood, turn off utilities (electricity, gas) if safe to do so and move valuables to higher ground.

Urban flooding in the Puget Sound region is not uncommon during late-fall and early-winter storms, especially when heavy rain coincides with saturated ground, clogged drains or elevated tides. Past events have shown how quickly streets can become impassable and how much strain storm-water systems can face. For instance, heavy rains and strong winds have previously caused roads to flood and trees to topple in Western Washington. FOX 13 Seattle+1
While today’s event appears within the range of expected seasonal flooding, the combination of rain intensity and urban drainage stress makes it important for residents to remain alert until conditions stabilize.

8:22 a.m. – Abby’s forecast for western WA

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Tacoma celebrates milestone anniversary

Glacier, WA community rallies to keep historic post office open

Why experts say impacts of government shutdown could linger after it reopens

Rad Power Bikes faces permanent closure at Seattle site

Seattle named most expensive US city for takeout

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

SEATTLE – Mostly cloudy skies and a few light showers moved back into Washington Wednesday, and steadier rainfall continues tonight. 

Mostly cloudy skies and a few light showers moved back into Washington Wednesday, and steadier rainfall continues tonight. 

Steady morning rain can be expected across the Puget Sound. Widespread showers will continue through midday, with more scattered showers by the evening. 

Steady morning rain can be expected across the Puget Sound. 

The heaviest rainfall Thursday will be around the north sound and along the coast. Showers will continue Thursday night into Friday with snow levels slowly dropping to a rain snow mix at the major mountain passes. 

Heaviest rain Thursday will be around the north sound and along the coast. 

Showers and breezy wind at times will continue into the weekend. We will see mild temperatures through the weekend as well.

Showers and breezy wind at times will continue into the weekend. 

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Tacoma celebrates milestone anniversary

Glacier, WA community rallies to keep historic post office open

Why experts say impacts of government shutdown could linger after it reopens

Rad Power Bikes faces permanent closure at Seattle site

Seattle named most expensive US city for takeout

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

After CBJ wins, we’ll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we’ll remember from the Blue Jackets’ victory.

BLUE JACKETS 2, KRAKEN 1 (SHOOTOUT)

1. The Blue Jackets got to celebrate a win … even if it took a second.

With the game on his stick, Charlie Coyle crossed the blue line and ripped a shot off the post and past Matt Murray to give the Blue Jackets two much-needed points Tuesday night.

And with a four-game losing streak in their past, the Blue Jackets excitedly jumped off the bench to mob their shootout hero, right?

Not exactly.

After Coyle’s perfect shot got past Murray to secure the second point, neither the shooter nor his teammates went crazy. Coyle skated back to the bench with a square jaw, and the Blue Jackets on the bench took a second to look around before they streamed off to celebrate the victory.

So, what happened?

“I think guys kind of forgot that it was over,” Zach Werenski said. “They went first. I feel like guys kind of were just like, I know (Damon Severson) looked at me and was like, ‘It is over?’”

Or maybe it was just, after three games in four days, while switching time zones twice, and also dealing with a flu bug going through the team, the Blue Jackets were just too tired to celebrate.

“I think it was a little bit of a grind for everyone with the sickness and the bug going around,” Mathieu Oliver said. “I think was it more kind of relief when we saw him go bar down there, which was unbelievable, but a lot of relief for our group.”

Whatever the reason was, Coyle’s goal didn’t set off a massive celebration, but it did clinch a crucial victory for the Blue Jackets to finish off a long road trip right but also put two points in the standings. The veteran went on to joke that he thought the delayed celebration was just because everyone was so stunned he scored on such a sweet finish, but he was more than happy to celebrate once everyone congregated by the CBJ bench.

“Maybe it was like a mutual thing because I didn’t really react fully, and then they didn’t react,” Coyle said. “And then Jet (Greaves) slowly kind of skated out so everyone kind of jumped, but that’s gonna be funny looking back. But that’s the long road trip, so it’s a sigh of relief, I think.”

2. Coyle’s goal clinched a huge victory marked by the Blue Jackets battling through adversity.

Think of it this way. The Blue Jackets lost in one of the most stunning ways possible Monday night at Edmonton, then flew to Seattle for the second half of a back-to-back against a rested foe. Illness has been working its way through the team, and things got even worse for the Blue Jackets when captain Boone Jenner left early in the second period with injury.

Given all those factors combined, you probably wouldn’t have expected a CBJ win tonight, but the Blue Jackets delivered.

“I think it speaks a lot about our character,” Werenski said. “Obviously the road trip hasn’t gone our way and we’re obviously not happy about how some of the games have gone, but we just dug deep and found a way to win this one. We got three of four points in the last 24 hours, and I’m really proud of our group.”

And in some ways, maybe that adversity helped the Blue Jackets along the way.

“To do that with the guys who have been sick and out of the lineup, with the mid-game adjustments, I think it helps guys zone in more because you have to know who’s up,” Coyle said. “It’s not the regular lies and all that, so that definitely could help.

“Hey, we came through, and that’s a sign of a good team.”

3. The Blue Jackets exercised patience on the way to the victory.

Seattle has one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and speed to burn, so their game plan has been relatively simple this season. The Kraken want teams to have to earn it, turning up the pressure and trying to force turnovers before going the other way.

But on a night where it would have been easy to fold up the tent, the Blue Jackets showed an enviable level of discipline. Instead of opening themselves up to mistakes in the middle of a taut game, Columbus stayed the course and did what it had to do on the defensive end to get it to overtime.

“What we liked, and we’ve talked about this a lot, is we were on the right side (of the puck),” head coach Dean Evason said. “We were on the Jackets side. We didn’t cheat the game tonight. We didn’t give them those freebies, the odd-man rushes, and the odd-man rushes, the ones that have hurt is here this year.”