More than two inches of rain devastated the streets of Bellingham, keeping first responders constantly busy

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The 24-hour rainfall total reported at Bellingham International Airport was 2.2 inches this morning, Oct. 27. The average rainfall for the entire month of October in the lowlands of Whatcom County is about 4 inches.

Light rain began around 11pm yesterday, but local flooding began around 1:30am and continued until 3am, causing surface water flooding in the area, including a collapse along the northbound lanes of the I-5 approaching the Sunset Drive interchange, closing all lanes. As of 7:45 a.m., traffic was being diverted off I-5 at the Lakeway Drive interchange.

Bellingham Police provided the following list of affected streets.

• Northshore Dr / Britton Rd – significant water over roadway
• Alabama St / Woburn St – Yew St – deep water over roadway
• Sunset Dr / Barkley Blvd – deep water in eastbound lanes
• Iowa St / Moore St – Deep water over roadway – I-5 northbound on- and off-ramps closed
• 600-700 blocks of Samish Way – a foot of water over the roadway

First responders were dispatched to approximately 12 flood-related calls in the Bellingham area.

For comparison, a weather station in Ferndale reported half an inch of precipitation during the same period.