Thousands issued urgent flood warning: “Move to higher ground now”

Residents across two states have been issued flood warnings by the National Weather Service (NWS), which urged thousands to “move to higher ground now” early Thursday morning as many rivers rise to near record-high levels due to “excessive rainfall.”

What To Know

The NWS has issued flood warnings for parts of Washington and Oregon, advising motorists not to attempt to drive their cars through flooded areas, as “most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”

Washington

The NWS for Seattle and Spokane has put major flood warnings in place from overnight Wednesday through Thursday, with water levels not expected to lower until Friday, Saturday, or even Sunday in some places. 

Areas within these two counties likely to be particularly affected by major flooding include: 

• North Fork Stillaguamish River near Arlington: The river is expected to rise to just over 15  feet on Wednesday night, falling below flood level stage by Thursday afternoon.

• South Fork Nooksack River at Saxon Bridge: The river is expected to rise to over 10 feet overnight on Wednesday, falling to below flood level stage by Thursday afternoon, with residents, particularly in Acme, warned that flooding is likely to impact farms, homes, and roads.

• Puyallup River near Orting: The river is expected to rise to 19,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) late Wednesday night, falling below flood level stage by Thursday afternoon.

• Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls: The river is forecast to rise to 76,000 cfs late Thursday morning, before falling below flood levels on Thursday night. The NWS for Seattle warns that this “will cause severe near record flooding from the town of Snoqualmie downstream through Fall City.”

• Stillaguamish River at Arlington: The river could rise to a near-record level of 20.7 feet late Wednesday night, falling below flood stage by Thursday night. Highway 530, east of Arlington, Island Crossing, and most valley roads downstream of I-5 to Stanwood are expected to be inundated. 

• Issaquah Creek near Issaquah: The river is expected to rise above flood stage on Wednesday night—reaching 2,880 cfs—before falling to below flood levels by Thursday evening.

• Skagit River near Concrete: The river could rise to over 44 feet late Thursday morning, then fall below the flooding level on Friday morning.

• Skookumchuck River near Bucoda: The river is expected to rise to 214 feet just after midnight on Wednesday. This is likely to flood surrounding homes and businesses, leaving roads completely submerged. The water levels are expected to fall below flood stage late Friday morning.  

• Skykomish River near Gold Bar: The river is expected to rise to just over 24 feet on Wednesday night, falling below flood stage on Friday morning. The NWS warned that water levels above 22 feet could “flood many homes…cover much of the farmland…close most roads and overtop most dikes.” 

• Snoqualmie River near Carnation: The river will rise to over 60 feet overnight on Wednesday, falling slowly to below flood stage by Friday afternoon. This is likely to impact many farms, homes, and roads.

• Skagit River near Mt. Vernon: The river is expected to rise to just over 41 feet on Friday morning, before dropping to below flood stage on Saturday morning. 

• Snohomish River near Monroe: The river could rise to nearly 25 feet Thursday afternoon (according to the NWS, this “approaches the flood of record”), then fall below flood stage by Saturday morning. 

• Snohomish River at Snohomish: The river is forecast to rise to over 33 feet on Thursday night, flooding much of the river valley, before dropping to below flood levels on Saturday morning. 

• Cowlitz River at Randle: The river is expected to rise to 24 feet overnight Wednesday, and remain at this level, before dropping to below flood stage by Saturday, affecting homes, businesses, farms, and roads—particularly Highway 12. 

• Cedar River near Landsburg: The river is expected to rise to over 10 feet on Wednesday night, before slowly falling below flood stage by Sunday. The NWS has put flood warnings in place “until further notice.”

• Cedar River at Renton: The river could rise to over 17 feet on Thursday morning and lower to below flood level stage by Sunday, causing major flooding in Renton, especially at the airport.

Oregon 

Several areas within Portland and Pendleton have been issued minor to moderate flood warnings from overnight Wednesday through to Friday, or “until further notice” in some places. 

Rivers and areas expected to be particularly affected include: 

• Grays River at Covered Bridge near Rosburg
• Cowlitz River at Kelso
• Naches River near Naches
• Yakima River at Horlick
• Yakima River at Umtanum
• Naches River near Cliffdell
• Yakima River near Parker

What People Are Saying

The NWS for Seattle said: “Even 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock you off your feet and a depth of 2 feet will float your car. Never try to walk, swim, or drive through such swift water. If you come upon flood waters, stop, turn around and go another way.”

The NWS for Spokane said: “Please report observed flooding to local emergency services or law enforcement and request they pass this information to the National Weather Service when you can do so safely.”

What Happens Next

Residents in all affected areas should monitor local forecasts for updates and remain vigilant and prepared for further flooding over the coming days.