Much of Northwest Washington, including the Plateau, could see heavy rain and even minor-to-moderate flooding starting Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The latest bout of wild fall weather has led the NWS to issue a Flood Watch starting noon on Thursday and lasting through Friday at 5 a.m. It includes the much of the Plateau area.

“Moderate to heavy rain” will drive rivers close to flooding, and a few could spill over their banks as early as Thursday afternoon. The rain will also increase the threat of landslides across the region Friday morning, the NWS reported.

A flood watch isn’t as urgent as a flood warning, but it does mean flooding could happen. Plan ahead to avoid driving through flood areas or standing water.

Enumclaw Fire Department firefighter Ryan Rodenberg said the department has crews and equipment on hand in case they need to respond to any water-related incidents.

The biggest recommendation he had was for motorists to take caution when driving.

“If you have some standing water that appears to be kind of deep, don’t drive through it,’ he said. “That’s really the deal. Obviously, stay away from some crazy big waters.”

Rivers in the area are dam controlled, Rodenberg said, so the risk of river flooding is lower than it might be in other jurisdictions.