CHEHALIS, Wash. -- After flooding, avalanches and snow closed major freeways in and out of Western Washington, calmer weather Friday allowed transportation officials to open Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass and I-5 in Chehalis.

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 at the pass opened at 9 a.m., and the westbound lanes are expected to be open at noon.

Interstate 5, which has been closed since Wednesday evening along a 20-mile stretch from Chehalis to south of Olympia, was opened about 11:15 a.m. for trucks. All traffic will be allowed through after truck traffic is cleared.

The 20-mile stretch of I-5 was shut down late Wednesday as floodwaters from the Chehalis river covered all lanes, blocking the state's major north-south freeway. At one point, water was several feet deep over the road.

The Chehalis River crested Thursday night at Chehalis, 7 feet above flood stage. It should fall below flood stage early Saturday morning.

The same section of I-5 was shut down for four days in December 2007 due to flooding, and crews had to repair heavy damage to the freeway after the floodwaters went down. This time, however, no major repairs were needed after the floodwaters receded.

"We're not seeing any areas of significant damage," said DOT spokesman Chris Christopher.

The Transportation Department says I-5 through Chehalis is used by about 10,000 trucks a day and closing the freeway costs shippers about $4 million a day.

Don Wagner, a regional administrator for the Department of Transportation, said damage to the state's highway system from the storm would likely run into the tens of millions of dollars.

"This was a very widespread event," he said Friday during a media briefing at Snoqualmie Pass.

Wagner said none of the emergency repair work is in the budget.

"Our maintenance budget it really suffering. Our repair budget is really suffering," he said. "We will leave it to the politicians to help us figure out how we're going to pay for that."

Most rivers in Western Washington have crested, but warnings are still in effect in 10 counties. Major flooding is still occurring on the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Cedar and Chehalis rivers, and residents along some rivers are still evacuating as floodwaters approach their homes.

The flooding - some of the worst on record in Washington state - was touched off by a combination of heavy rain of 6 inches or more and a warm spell in the mid-40s that rapidly melted snow in the Cascade Mountains.

Gov. Chris Gregoire's office said she plans to tour flood damage Friday with Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

The stricken areas included such far-flung Seattle bedroom communities as Fife, Orting and Snohomish, but Seattle itself saw little flooding.

By Thursday afternoon, Orting officials told residents they could return to their homes.

Rescuers had used boats to evacuate scores of people from nursing homes. Fire trucks rolled through the streets, using loudspeakers to warn people to leave.

No serious injuries were reported.

"I think we're seeing an all-timer, or as bad as anyone has seen," said Rob Harper, a spokesman for the state Division of Emergency Management. "We just haven't seen this extent of flooding."

Many schools were closed or delayed Friday due to flooding throughout the region (see full list), and crews are struggling to re-open flooded roads. (Check the latest road alerts for King County, Snohomish County, Skagit County, Thurston County Whatcom County, and Lewis County.)

As the rain subsided and the snowmelt lessened, flood-endangered towns began to hope that the worst might soon be over. But thousands of residents were still out of their homes.

Here's an area-by-area look:

King County

Rivers in east King County flooded several communities, forcing people into boats as streets in Snoqualmie and Duvall were submerged.

Avalanche danger remained high in the Cascades.

High water closed State Highway 203 in east King County, cutting the last remaining route to the cities of Carnation and Duvall. In Duvall, a few medical emergencies were taken by boat to areas to the west where medical teams could access roads. "It's among the top 2 or 3 (floods)," Duvall Fire Lt. Todd Light said. "It's not as high as 1990 yet, but it's coming."

The rains and resulting flooding not only sent water surging through downtown Snoqualmie along the Snoqualmie River but knocked out power to most of that area, shutting schools, restaurants and stores.

Record flooding was reported on the Snoqualmie River at Carnation. The river crested at 61.5 feet early Thursday, 7.5 feet above flood stage, and was falling slowly, the Weather Service said.

A dozen Washington National Guard members with four high-clearance, all-wheel-drive trucks were dispatched to assist fire and rescue crews to respond to calls in areas isolated by high water.

Pierce County

In Orting, after evaluating potential damage, Mayor Cheryl Temple and other city officials told residents and business operators Thursday afternoon that they could return to the town.

"What a difference 24 hours makes," Police Chief Bill Drake said.

Concern in Pierce County was shifting to the stability of levees and debris-damaged bridges as flooding receded along the Puyallup and other rivers, said Barb Nelson, an emergency management spokeswoman.

Authorities on Wednesday had warned residents to evacuate Orting, about 10 miles southeast of Tacoma, and the surrounding valley, home to about 26,000 people. Sandbags were placed around many downtown homes and businesses as the Puyallup River neared record levels.

Jamie Hicks spent Wednesday night tending five gas-powered pumps to try to clear the water 2½ feet in parts of his Orting home, about 50 yards from the Puyallup River.

"We're veterans at this. You just pump it out. There's nothing you can do. It will go down," Hicks said.

"I'm in one big drain hole," he added.

Whatcom County

A mudslide early Thursday damaged five houses along the Mount Baker Highway near Deming. Washington State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary said no one was injured, but two people were temporarily trapped in one of the houses by a downed power line.

Scores of roads throughout the county and in Bellingham were closed by high water.

Skagit County

Dozens of roads were closed and damaged by water throughout Skagit County, and many schools were closed because of the flooding. Although the Samish River has flooded at near-record levels, the county's major river, the Skagit, was just a half foot above flood stage near Mount Vernon late Thursday and only minor flooding was reported or forecast.

The state Department of Transportation reopened State Highway 20 between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete, but the road remained closed by slides east of Concrete.


Thurston and Mason Counties

A Shelton man was rescued after being swept into a raging stream after his car plunged into a washout. Mason County sheriff's Deputy B. Dean Byrd said the 50-year-old man was lucky to make it through the ordeal early Thursday.

Rescue crews were spread out in Thurston County as well, plucking residents from flooded homes in the small town of Bucoda, 20 miles south of Olympia.

Lewis and Grays Harbor

Many areas devastated by floods in December 2007 faced more high water just 13 months later. A Coast Guard helicopter was used to remove some people stranded by water in eastern Lewis County.

The Chehalis, Newaukum and Skookumchuck rivers in the county were all flooding.

Jean Richardson, 71, of Centralia, said her house was on high enough ground, but she worried about other residents who were just getting back into homes after repairing damage from last winter.

"I feel so sorry for those people," she said, adding, "We're having these 100-year floods every year now."

In Grays Harbor County, sheriff's deputies rescued several people from flooding homes. Officials issued a voluntary evacuation notice for people living near rivers, including the swollen Chehalis.

"We don't want to create panic, but we don't want people that live near the river to procrastinate and have to be rescued," Lynn O'Connor, public information officer for the county's Department of Emergency Management, told the Aberdeen Daily World.

Cowlitz County

Levees along rivers in Cowlitz County were holding, officials said. Meanwhile, an evacuation order was lifted in south Kelso, near the border with Oregon.

Pacific County

High water and landslides blocked almost every highway leading out of the county. U.S. Highway 101 was opened later Thursday between Raymond and Aberdeen but remained blocked by slides south of South Bend. Storekeepers said they had plenty of water, gasoline and other supplies but could run low if roads remained closed for an extended period.

A landslide north of South Bend broke a major 12-inch water supply line Wednesday night, and residents and business operators were asked to make no use of water from the tap. Schools were closed, along with heavily water-dependent oyster canneries.