WASHINGTON — Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has declared an emergency because of record-breaking flooding.
By the end of Thursday, there will be at least 300 members of the National Guard here to help with rescues and recovery.
You can watch the governor’s declaration here.
At 4:30 p.m., Ferguson wrote on X.com that 100,000 Washingtonians could be facing evacuation orders.
“The situation is fluid and changing all the time. We expect rivers to hit historic levels as early as 4 a.m. tomorrow, lasting into Friday morning,” he wrote.
Evacuation orders
Level 3 ‘Leave Now’ evacuation orders in Mount Vernon
The forecast: What to expect today
Rain and gusty winds will continue through this evening though the winds will start to taper off after about 8 p.m. But until then, fallen trees are possible with wind gusts over 40mph. The landslide risk is also very high with more rain that has fallen today.
Another 1-2 inches of rain in the lowlands could fall tonight through Thursday morning with more than five inches more in the North Cascades and two to three inches in the central and south Cascades.
Be very careful driving into tonight as the threat of landslides, fallen trees, and standing water will be present.
Rivers will rise throughout the night, but the peak crests of most rivers are not expected until tomorrow. River levels into Friday will continue to be above normal, and there will be issues with urban flooding when the heaviest downpours hit today.
Major flooding is expected on many of our river systems with crests higher than what we observed on Monday and into Tuesday. Major flooding is expected on the following rivers with the following times of peak river levels (subject to change with new forecasts):
- Snohomish River at Monroe: In Major flood stage until Friday night, with near-record flood stage Thursday afternoon.
- Snohomish River at Snohomish: In Major flood stage until early Saturday morning with record flood stage crest Thursday morning through midday Friday.
- Skagit River near Concrete: In Major flood stage with record crest near 10 a.m. Thursday.
- Skagit River at Mount Vernon: Major flood stage by late Wednesday night, and above record flood level Thursday afternoon through much of Friday
- Samish River near Burlington: Major record flood stage for a few hours Wednesday night.
- Nooksack River at North Cedarville: Major record flooding late Wednesday night through early Thursday morning.
- Stillaguamish River at Arlington: Major flood stage Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon with crest in record flood stage around 10 a.m. Thursday.
- Puyallup River near Orting: One more crest in Major flood stage before daybreak Thursday.
- Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls: Major flood stage through Thursday afternoon with near record crest around 10 a.m. Thursday.
- Snoqualmie River at Carnation: Major flood stage now through around daybreak Friday.
- Tolt River at Carnation: Major flood stage from early Wednesday morning through early afternoon.
- Skykomish River at Gold Bar: In Major flood stage until 4 p.m. Thursday with near-record flood levels Wednesday night.
- Cowlitz River at Randle: in Major flood stage now through Friday morning
- Cedar River at Renton: Rising to Major flood stage by 4 a.m. Thursday with record crest around 10 a.m. Thursday, falling out of major flood stage Friday morning.
Some minor coastal flooding is also possible, especially near the time of high tide and near where rivers empty into the Salish Sea.
Wind Advisory
Adding to the weather mix for today — A Wind Advisory is posted and will be in effect until late Wednesday night. Wind gusts over 40 mph are possible all day, and the risk for falling trees is high. Heavy rain, high winds, flooding, and falling trees sum up the forecast today. Travel with caution.
What to expect later this week
Drier weather will be in the forecast from Thursday afternoon through Friday and the weekend, with most rivers dropping quickly into the weekend, though hazards will still remain, with debris and dangerous river currents.
While the weekend’s weather looks calmer, there are prospects for more warm, wet, windy weather systems next week – possibly with some atmospheric river components. It appears that we won’t have an end to the flooding threat in Western Washington through next week.
KIRO 7 will have live team coverage of this ongoing flooding threat through the event. Stay with us on-air and online at kiro7.com
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