A car hit a fire hydrant at 83rd and Greenwood, sending water through the neighborhood last night, bringing back reminders of the downtown Greenwood water main break in August. Anna tells us she saw water running down the street as far away as 79th and Dayton at about 10:30 p.m.

Stacy provided this account of the incident:

A car knocked over a fire hydrant on the corner of 83rd and Greenwood. It then ran into the corner of the building there. I am not sure, but I think the occupants of the car had only minor injuries. Right now the police are there trying to turn the water off, and have part of that intersection blocked off.
Water is running down that street and along Dayton. It’s pretty deep in the street – you wouldn’t want to bicycle through it. It’s very deep at 80th and Dayton – please be careful driving.

According to Seattle Public Utilities, the impact snapped off the hydrant underground. They’ll dig it up and repair it within a week. It could even be done in the next day or so if there isn’t another working hydrant within 300 feet.

Update 10/7: Artman1951 sent us some photos of the scene the following day and we’re just getting around to posting them. Thanks, Artman!

Here’s the scene:

Here’s the remains of the hydrant.

Here’s the wall the car struck.

9:45 a.m. update: With a warm, wet storm approaching today, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the greater Puget Sound region, urging residents to clear storm drains to minimize the risk of urban flooding.

This morning, we noticed this SDOT crew clearing a drain at 51st and 8th Ave.

Most of these drains are packed over with snow and ice. “What people can do at home is, if they have a storm drain that’s out front and they know where its at and they have a shovel or a broom that’s available, they can clear the drain of snow and basically do what we’re doing,” said Carrie Parker, Seattle Public Utilities Dept. To report a drainage problem, call 684-3000, or 386-1800 if there’s a blockage below the street surface. Other tips: clear heavy snow off the side of your house and your back porch so water won’t leak inside.