ARLINGTON — A weekend of moderate flooding that led to the temporary closures of Haller and Twin Rivers parks served as a prelude for a more severe storm the following week.

The North Fork of the Stillaguamish River shot up to 15 feet by the afternoon, but Arlington City Administrator Paul Ellis reported a relatively lucky Friday the 13th with “no damage and very little cleanup work left” after floodwaters receded the following day.

“The new boat ramp at Haller Park held up really well,” Ellis told the City Council Nov. 16.

The real test came Tuesday, Nov. 17, when Arlington was hit with not only heavy rain and strong winds, but also a 2-inch mix of snow and hail the following Wednesday.

Arlington police responded to an estimated 50 calls from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday — the height of the storm — including stranded motorists, downed power lines, water over roads, alarms and several collisions.

The fire department received 44 calls, including 11 medical-related, 14 fire-related (including alarms), 13 traffic-related, two water rescues and four wires down.

City maintenance crews responded to about a dozen calls, mainly from police or fire for roadway clearing assistance, due to downed trees and wires, as well as clogged storm drains.

Tuesday, Arlington Airport emailed tenants with airplanes stored outside to make sure their planes were secured.

“Unfortunately, we did have one plane that was flipped by the wind,” city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.

Banfield added that extra street-sweeping was conducted between Nov. 13-17, to clear as many leaves as possible out of storm drains. Stormwater pipes and ponds were checked and cleared for blockages, while Haller and Twin Rivers parks were closed again at 4 p.m. Nov. 17, before floodwaters could enter their grounds.

The city’s response was complicated by the power going out at the airport office, Fire Station 47 and the maintenance shop, starting at about 3 p.m. that Tuesday before being restored overnight. Banfield explained that staff relied on cell phones and radios to communicate, while Fire Chief Tom Cooper relocated to Fire Station 46 to operate the Field Operations Center (FOC).

City staff were called back in a little after 4 p.m. that day to close Cemetery Road, just west of 200th Place NE, for power lines over the road. There were also lines down on 67th Avenue, just north of Highland View Drive. Police joined maintenance staff in routing traffic up Upland Drive and down Highland View Drive to bypass the hazard. The lines were cleared and roads reopened around 10 p.m.

Staff were also called in around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 for water over the road on 67th Avenue just south of 204th Street, where the system was overwhelmed, and also at Highland View Drive, where leaves were blocking storm drains. By 10 a.m. that day, there was still a little water in the northbound lane on 67th at 204th, but Highland View was clear. By 1 p.m., the northbound lane on 67th at 204th was clear as well.

During the height of the storm at Haller Park, water came up to about three feet on the restrooms, just over the toilet paper holders, but there was no damage, other than losing two partial boxes of toilet paper in the supply room.

Flooding on the Stillaguamish River caused the state and county to close Highway 530 at Island Crossing and at Twin Rivers/Arlington Heights Road, as well as the Dike Road between Highway 530 and 59th Avenue, and Schloman Road at Highway 9. Police responded to several collisions, but only minor injuries were reported.

A resident in the 3300 block of 173rd Place NE reported that a tree fell on two vehicles, causing damage to both, but there were no injuries.

Banfield noted that areas adjacent to the river were most impacted, including Haller and Twin Rivers parks, Highway 530 at Twin Rivers and Island Crossing, and the Dike Road.

“Twin Rivers Park is probably the most impacted,” Banfield said Nov. 18. “The jersey barriers on the highway came across the road. The fields are full of tree branches, silt and gravel, and there are two large holes along the highway, on the west shoulder adjacent to the park.”

Twin Rivers Park will remain closed until repairs are completed, and the state Department of Transportation is working on repairing the barriers and shoulders on Highway 530.

“The cleanup of Haller and Twin Rivers parks is likely to take some time, as is the general cleanup from branches and leaves in our other parks and on trails,” Banfield said. “Our primary efforts were to be sure that roadways were clear for the commute. Cleanup will be our focus for this week and the next. We have additional Department of Corrections crews coming out to assist.”

Due to the limited resources the city has to respond to high call volumes during such situations, Banfield advised people to be prepared.

“We have storms like this every winter, so it should not be a surprise,” Banfield said. “Do not drive through closed road signs. We have to launch rescues because of this. And do not call 911 to ask when the power is going to be restored. This prevents real emergency calls from getting through to dispatchers. We are experiencing a three-minute delay on emergency calls because of this.”