The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for portions of northwest Washington and west central Washington, including Mason County. The Flood Watch is effective from this evening through late Tuesday night.
Forecasters say heavy rain over the Olympics and central Cascades today and tonight will cause significant rises on area rivers. Minor flooding is possible for some rivers starting tonight and continuing into Tuesday.
A Coast Guard aircrew hoisted an injured man Saturday morning from a forest several miles east of Aberdeen, Washington.
At 10 a.m., watchstanders at the Columbia River Command Center received a request for assistance from Grays Harbor dispatch reporting a man who had several injuries and was showing symptoms of hypothermia near Mox Chuck Slough.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed a tornado in Mason County Friday night.
According to the results of a damage survey, between approximately 6:02 PM and 6:07 PM on the October 18th, the tornado touched down just southwest of the fire station on Pickering Road near Strong Road, traveled northeast for 0.68 miles before moving over the water of Pickering Passage and dissipating as a waterspout.
The following is a summary of road construction and maintenance scheduled on state highways around Mason County and adjacent areas from October 20, 2019 to October 26, 2019.
Construction
US 101 – Coffee Creek – Remove Fish Barrier
Highway: US 101 Region: Olympic County: Mason Location: Milepost(s) 346.8
Description: Crews are building a new alignment for Coffee Creek to remove fish barriers. As work progresses, the project will require a temporary traffic shift on Shelton-Matlock Road west of US 101 near the interchange. This project also will rebuild the southbound US 101 ramps to and from the Shelton-Matlock Road.
Work Schedule: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each weekday: Brief traffic stops and shoulder closures on Shelton-Matlock Road approaching US 101 interchange. No traffic affects for US 101.
Maintenance
Highway: US 101 Region: Olympic County: Mason Location: Milepost(s) 338.6 to 338.9
Description: One-way alternating routine bridge inspection.
Work Schedule: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 21-22.
Highway: SR 106 Region: Olympic County: Mason Location: Milepost(s) 3 to 20
Description: One-way alternating traffic for sign installation.
Work Schedule: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 21-22.
According to a new report from the Washington State Department of Commerce, the electricity sources for Mason PUD 3 customers are 98% carbon-free.
Eighty-eight percent of the power purchased by PUD 3 for its customers comes from renewable sources: hydroelectricity and wind. Ten percent of the electricity comes from the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in south-central Washington.
| Mason PUD 3 | |
| Hydroelectric | 79% |
| Nuclear | 10% |
| Wind | 9% |
| Other Sources, Purchased from the Market | 2% |
The Port of Grapeview has hired its first employee. According to the Port’s newsletter, the workload that was created when the Port received grants to replace and upgrade the Fair Harbor Boat Ramp became “too much for the Port Commission to handle.” Also, state law prohibits a quorum of elected officials (that’s two of the three Port Commissioners) to talk about Port business outside a public meeting, creating constraints that are “impossible to work under.” So, the Port Commission hired Amanda Montgomery to be Administrator and handle all Port functions and business between Commission meetings.
State health officials are working with local and federal public health partners to investigate a cluster of Salmonella infections linked to contact with pet turtles.
Washington has two cases in this multi-state outbreak, one each from Kitsap and Whatcom counties. Both people report contact with pet turtles, and one person was hospitalized.
The following is a summary of road construction and maintenance scheduled on state highways around Mason County and adjacent areas from October 13, 2019 to October 19, 2019.
Highway: SR 108 Region: Olympic County: Mason Location: Milepost(s) 11
Description: Total closure of SR 108 in Kamilche for railroad track upgrades. Signed detours will be provided.
Work Schedule: 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, until 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16.
