Heavy rains cause floods in Portugal

LISBON (AFP) - Heavy rains have caused localized flooding in central and southern Portugal that damaged several homes, killed livestock, cut roads and disrupted rail travel.

There were no reports of injuries but nine people had to be removed from their homes near the southern town of Odemira when the Mira River overflowed, Odemira firefighting commander Nazario Viana told the Lusa news agency on Monday.

An undetermined number of sheep and other farm animals drowned in the floodwaters which also submerged the railway station in the nearby town of Saboia, he added.

Rail travel between Lisbon and Faro, the capital of Portugal's southernmost province of Algarve, was interrupted because parts of the track were flooded, said railway management firm Refer spokesman Rui Reis.

The rail line linking Lisbon to the north of the country, which closed on Sunday near the central town of Caxarias due to flooding, reopened on Monday but trains could only travel in the area at speeds of 10 kilometres (six miles) an hour, he added.

Several roads were cut in the Algarve, one of Europe's top tourist destinations, and the province of Alentejo, local officials said.

The national weather office predicts the heavy rains will continue to fall until Tuesday.

Two of Portugal's 18 districts were placed on orange alert, the second-highest in a scale that goes from green, the lowest, to red, the highest, while 11 others were put on yellow alert, the third-highest alert.

Rain and heavy winds rolling in

Expect steady rainfall and heavy winds today and Tuesday in the Puget Sound region, with flood warnings for several Western Washington counties, according to the National Weather Service. About 3 inches are expected in the Seattle metropolitan area today and Tuesday. Two to 6 inches of rain could hit lowlands, and the Cascades and Olympics may face up to 10 inches.

The rain isn't expected to taper off until Tuesday.

"I've heard comments from people in the office who've been around awhile who say some of these amounts are the highest they've ever seen," said Dennis D'Amico, a meteorologist with the weather service.

The average rainfall for November is about 8 inches, according to the weather service.

Gale winds also are expected along coastal and inland waters, with gusts likely to reach 30 mph to 50 mph, the weather service reported.

This week's rain is part of a system of moist, warm air dubbed the Pineapple Express, coming from the tropical regions of the central and western Pacific. It is expected to bring mild temperatures, possibly in the 60s today, and is the wettest to push through this fall.

As it hung over the region Saturday, forecasters monitored rising Northwest rivers. The weather service warned coastal residents about potential flooding because of large ocean swells today, and urged drivers to steer clear of flooded areas.

"This is the cause of most flood-related deaths in Washington," the weather service warned on its Web site.

Flooding closed sections of Southeast 24th Street and West Snoqualmie River Road near Fall City and Carnation. Roads in urban areas also were likely to flood because of heavy precipitation and autumn leaves clogging storm drains, D'Amico said.

The weather service issues flood advisories 24 to 48 hours in advance, with more specific warnings coming within 12 hours once forecasters have more information, D'Amico said.

Late Saturday, flood warnings were issued for the Snoqualmie River near the falls east of Seattle, and for the Skagit River near Concrete.

The Skokomish River crested above flood stage Saturday near Potlatch on the Hood Canal. Flood stage on the Skokomish is 16 feet, and the river was at 16.5 feet at 9 p.m Saturday.

The same day, rainfall at Sea-Tac Airport reached 1.91 inches, eclipsing a record of 1.54 inches set on that date in 1969, according to the weather service.