Evacuation of Stehekin advised with a new round of severe weather

A predicted return of heavy rains has prompted the Chelan County Sheriff's Office to advise citizens to stay out of the Stehekin Valley. Chelan County Emergency Management reports slide areas may slide again, and creeks and drainages are expected to rise.

The National Weather Service advises to get set for round two of rain, wind and snow at higher elevations.

"We are looking at very heavy precipitation on the order of two to five inches of liquid," said Meteorologist Steve Bodnar. "Our ground is very saturated, and our rivers and streams are running much higher than when we entered the last event. We will see continued snow melt ongoing."

Bodnar added, "We see some wavering where we do get some cooler air , so we'll snow levels drop down to about 4,000 or 5,000 feet."

"We will see some gusty wind developing on Monday night," advised Bodnar. "Right now that seems to be on the order of 30-40 miles an hour for some of the lower elevations. In the higher terrain we could see gusts up around 50 (miles an hour). As we get into that second part of the system Tuesday night and Wednesday, that's where we're looking at even a stronger push of wind. We could see some of those stronger winds. We could see some of those stronger winds channel down some of those drainages again and impact some of our communities."

The community of Holden Village reported on social media that Road 8301 is washed out in places. Repairs can’t begin until next year, effectively causing Holden to remain closed through spring.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says a section of U.S. Highway 2 has washed out into the Wenatchee River.

The latest real time information can be found on the Chelan County Emergency Management Facebook page.

Monitor updates from the National Weather Service here.