Rivers recede, drier and sunnier weather on tap

Weather is drying out, but conditions remain very dangerous

FOX 13 Meteorologist Abby Acone is tracking several weather headlines—flooding rivers, landslides and avalanche warnings, frozen roads and rain showers. Thankfully, things are finally starting to dry out.

SEATTLE - After horrible flooding in Lewis County, most river levels are expected to recede this weekend. The exception to this will be the Chehalis River in Grays Harbor which is forecast to crest Monday morning.

The threat for landslides remains sky-high today. The ground is unstable and saturated due to recent heavy rains and snowmelt. As dry weather takes hold in Western Washington, the risk for slides drops in the days ahead. Watch for new cracks in the soil -- that's one of several warning signs that a landslide is about to happen.

As of noon Saturday, there are still several Flood Warnings in effect for rivers in Southwest Washington. Specifically, there are warnings for the Chehalis, Skookumchuck and Skokomish Rivers.

Here are specifics for each river:

Chehalis River near Grand Mound:

A Flood Warning remains in effect through late Sunday night. Major flooding is happening and forecast.

Chehalis River at Centralia:

A Flood Warning continues through Sunday morning. Moderate flooding is happening and forecast.

Skookumchuck River at Centralia:

A Flood Warning stays in effect through this afternoon. The river will continue to recede.

Chehalis River at Porter:

A Flood Warning stays in effect through Tuesday morning. Moderate flooding is happening and forecast.

Skookumchuck River near Bucoda:

A Flood Warning is posted through Sunday morning. Moderate flooding is happening and is forecast to continue.

Skokomish River at Potlatch:

A Flood Warning stays in place through late tonight. Minor flooding is happening and forecast.

Remember: all four major mountain passes are closed today due to snow and avalanche danger. While the avalanche threat is ranked as "considerable" today (a level three of five), it should drop to a "moderate" level (a level two of five) tomorrow as dry weather continues. For more on those conditions in the backcountry, make sure to check the Northwest Avalanche Center.

Mostly sunny skies are on tap tomorrow. Light snow is possible over the mountains Monday, but we're not expecting much in the way of accumulation if anything at all.

Today in the lowlands, we're forecasting mostly cloudy and dry skies. Only isolated showers look possible Everett up north, over the northern Cascades and the North Coast. This morning, we're also hearing about a light dusting of snow for some in Whatcom County. Everybody else should enjoy mostly shower-free skies. A few sun breaks are possible, too.

This seven-day forecast looks much quieter than what we've experienced the last two weeks. There could be isolated showers Monday and Tuesday, but drier and warmer weather is possible Wednesday and Thursday. Stray showers return Friday. This quieter stretch will help lower the landslide and avalanche threat. It will also help the clean-up efforts where devastating flooding hit Lewis County. Our hearts are with those impacted by this horrible weather.