1 presumed dead in Washington state flooding as Pacific Northwest deluge closes major highways

Nearly a week of rain and snow in the Pacific Northwest has shut down highways, prompted evacuations and is now being blamed for the suspected death of a Washington state man.

The 72 year-old man and his car were likely swept away in floodwaters Friday morning, according to Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office. The vehicle has not yet been found.

The flooding comes as a storm on Friday continued to deluge the Pacific Northwest and snow buried a critical highway in nearly 40 avalanches.

Between Seattle and Spokane, the major route across Washington’s Cascades was closed Thursday due to avalanche danger, heavy snow and low visibility. That section of road, I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, remained closed Friday.

"Closed means closed … please don’t pass road closure signs," a Washington State Department of Transportation account tweeted Friday in reference to a picture of a semi truck buried in snow at White Pass, another closed section of road.

Four mountain passes connecting the east and west portions of the state are expected to remain closed into the weekend.

In southwestern Washington, a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 5 was closed in both directions due to flooding from the Chehalis River. All lanes in that area reopened Friday afternoon. 

Residents living in the Skokomish Valley area of Mason County, Washington, were under an evacuation order due to rising water and "imminent flooding," the county said in a news release, CNN reported.

According to the National Weather Service office in Seattle, several cities in Washington broke rainfall records Thursday, which likely triggered flooding, CNN said. 

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On Friday, parts of downtown Issaquah, Washington, were closed after Issaquah Creek sent water over the roads. At least one apartment building was evacuated after the creek spilled over its banks and into the parking lot under the complex.

Dozens of watches and warnings were in effect in Washington and Oregon, including a flood warning for the northern Oregon Coast following huge amounts of rainfall.

"We are now experiencing one of the most active weather periods in a while," Seattle-based meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote on the Seattle Weather Blog Friday afternoon. 

Southwest Washington experienced its worst flooding in a decade and some rivers crested at more than 18 feet late Thursday, the National Weather Service said. 

The National Weather Service said Hoquiam, Washington, received 5.78 inches of rain Thursday – the city's wettest day ever recorded. Other areas saw nearly half the rain they’d expect to see for the month of January in one day, according to the weather service.

Forecasters say the rains should subside over the weekend.

Contributing: The Associated Press; The Kitsap Sun