King County officials this morning plan to tour areas – including near Maple Valley – that have been affected by river floods.

County Executive Ron Sims and managers of the county’s emergency management and road departments are scheduled to meet in Renton with people who were evacuated from the Cedar River area. The officials also will get a briefing from flood-control managers about the magnitude of this week’s flooding compared to past years.

The group also plans to visit an area off Maple Valley Highway where flooding forced the evacuation of a nearby mobile-home park. The damage assessment will continue near the Cedar River Trail, which is the only access for several residents isolated by flood waters. Additional stops may be made in Snoqualmie and Fall City, according to a county spokesman.

Officials said flooding has reached historic levels in come areas of the county. The county Sheriff Department, local fire districts and other agencies have been helping with evacuations and other emergency needs.

Mother Nature wasn’t done with the Puget Sound when the snow melted last week. Torrential rains Tuesday and Wednesday submerged parts of Western Washington, closing roads, and in some places sending residents searching for higher ground.

Kyle Ohashi, spokesman for Fire District 37 which serves Covington, said the department hadn’t responded to many calls related to the weather aside from flooded basements.

According to the National Weather Service Web site Thursday morning, “heavy rain drove most Western Washington rivers above flood stage.”

As much as five inches of rain fell in Western Washington over a 24 hour period ending Wednesday night.

Flood warnings remained in effect this morning for a number of rivers including the Cedar River in Renton. Flooding of Issaquah Creek was so severe it affected Issaquah-Hobart Road and traffic heading in and out of Issaquah.

“Some rivers will fall below flood stage (Thursday),” the NWS site said. “Other longer rivers will remain above flood stage until Friday or even Saturday.”

Covington and Maple Valley didn’t suffer severe impacts due to the weather but drivers felt the effects of road closures Thursday due to flooding in neighboring communities.

Maple Valley Highway (State Route 169) was shut down early Thursday morning near Cedar Grove because of water over the roadway. Commuters who take this route to get to Interstate 405 to go to the Eastside or Seattle had to seek alternative routes.

A barrier was set up on Southeast 231st Street and Maple Valley Highway to prevent drivers from venturing up the road.

In addition, other roads in Maple Valley and Ravensdale were blocked off last night or this morning:

• Water over the road on Wednesday night closed 172nd Avenue Southeast between Southeast 224th Street and Southeast 228th Street in Maple Valley.

• Byers Road Southeast, between Cedar Grove Road Southeast to the end ofthe road, had water over the roadway Thursdaay morning.

• Maxwell Road Southeast, between Southeast 212th Street and Southeast 208th Street, was covered with water Thursday morning.

• Southeast Ravensdale Way, near Southeast 268th Street, had water over the road Thursday morning.

• Dorre Don Way Southeast had water over the roadway in two locations – between Southeast 216th Way to the end of the road, and between upper and lower Dorre Don Way.

Among other problems reported by King County road officials was a washout at Issaquah-Hobart Road and State Route 18, starting Wednesday morning. This is another frequently traveled commuter route for Maple Valley residents heading to the Eastside.

Also on Issaquah-Hobart Road, the stretch between Southeast May Valley Road and 238th Way Southeast was covered by water Thursday morning.

In addition, Jones Road between Maple Valley Highway and 162nd Avenue Southeast in the Renton area was closed Wednesday morning after a mudslide.

Due the high amount of rain that has drenched the region, NWS officials warned of the potential for mudslides, as the heavy rainfall put extra pressure on the soil.

On Wednesday Cliff Mass, a meteorologist at the University of Washington, posted to his weather blog (cliffmass.blogspot.com) that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

“Want good news? The weather models are going for a dry day on Friday, some light showers over the weekend, and an extended dry period next week. You will think you are in California,” Mass said.

Updates on local road conditions are available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/roadalert. Information on river levels is available at (206) 296-8200.

Officials of Fire District 37, which serves the Covington area, advised motorists to:

• Travel with a cell phone, flashlight, food, water and warm clothes.

• Let others know where you are going and when you expect to arrive.

• Avoid standing or running water, as there is no way to accurately gauge the depth or where washouts or ditches are located. If you become trapped in water while driving, remain in your vehicle if possible and call 9-1-1 for help. If you abandon your vehicle, walk out same path that you drove until you reach dry ground.

Staff writer Kris Hill contributed to this report.