Record rains have forced hundreds of rescues, swamped communities and left rivers high, with more storms forecast<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The extent of the damage in Washington state<\/a> is profound but unclear after more than a week of heavy rains and record flooding, according to the state\u2019s governor, Bob Ferguson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific has dumped close to 2ft (0.6 metres) of rain in parts of the state, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 400,000 residents lost power in southern<\/a> and eastern<\/a> Washington, and in neighboring Oregon, from Portland<\/a> to Salem and along the Pacific coast<\/a>, as high winds downed trees and power lines on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More high water, mudslides and power outages were in the forecast. Elevated rivers and flood risk could persist until at least late this month, according to the National Weather Service. Wind and flood watches and warnings are expected in much of the north-west for the next couple of days as storms bring rain, heavy mountain snow and high winds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n