Rain pushes up rivers, house hit by mudslide

PORTLAND, Ore. - A flooding emergency has been declared in Clackamas County as the Clackamas River is expected to reach "major flooding" status during the day Friday.

Over 20 homes have been evacuated in a Lake Oswego neighborhood after a mudslide injured five people and heavily damaged one home as heavy rain and snow hit the region overnight.

The family in the home woke up about 1 a.m. to the sound of their house buckling around them. A large SUV in the garage was pushed out as the mud built up around the structure. Five of the seven people in the home had to be hospitalized.

Crews are waiting for daylight to assess the damage and survey the extent of the slide.

Another mudslide outside of the city of Sandy has Highway 26 closed in both direction between mileposts 24 and 35. Cars are able to take a local detour but trucks are being moved onto I-84.

Click here for the latest updates from ODOT.

Elsewhere, wet snow made for more problems for commuters, however, traffic is expected to be light on a day many people took off following the New Years Day holiday on Thursday.

The snow fell across the region, but Joe English at KATU said not to expect much more in low-lying areas and for the inch or so that did fall to melt away as the day wore on with temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s.

Almost three inches of rain fell in Portland in the last 36 hours.

More heavy rain or snow is not expected Friday, but snow showers are possible in some areas. Accumulations, if any, were expected to be light at lower elevations, while mountain areas could get up to 5 inches of snow.

More rain is expected to move into the region later in the weekend.

The major problem area is the Clackamas River, which is expected to crest well above flood stage Friday afternoon. An emergency has been declared in the county.

Other area rivers, such as the Wilson River near Tillamook, were at or above flood stage, swamping some low-lying areas and highways, but major flooding has not been reported. The Wilson River is reportedly expected to pull back Friday.

In Portland, flood-prone Johnson Creek is expected to pull back Friday after cresting above floodstage overnight.

In the mountains, pass conditions were treacherous in some areas, with some Washington passes through the Cascades closed due to heavy snow.