Monday rain may trigger renewed river flooding into Tue-Wed, but impacts should be lighter than last week. Here are live updates for Monday, Dec. 15.
Rain on Monday is forecast to bring another round of river flooding into Tuesday and Wednesday, though impacts are expected to be less severe than last week. Areas that previously experienced significant flooding could still see water levels rise again.
Keep reading for live weather updates for Monday, Dec. 15.As we track yet another onslaught of rain this week, the local landslide threat is skyrocketing. "It's these types of areas that are most vulnerable to landslides," said Acone. "It includes steep coastal bluffs, other steep hillsides or road cuts, along with recently burned areas.""After the destructive landslide in Oso in 2014, our state has invested millions of dollars to improve detecting these natural disasters with Lidar Data. Geologists say that identifying slides that have happened in the past is critical, because it indicates where it may happen again.""Washington is one of the most landslide-prone states in the country – causing tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in damage every year, according to the USGS.""Our recent rain totals are intense. We've had more than a foot of rain in the last week over the mountains – and an extra two to six inches are expected early this week.""The landslides hazards program at the Washington Geological Survey has identified tens of thousands of landslides since 2014."Here's where you can pinpoint the areas with heightened risk.Here are the warning signs ahead of a landslide:"As of this morning, more than 250 Guard members are supporting ongoing flood response operations in Western WA," the National Guard wrote. "Our team has filled nearly 15,000 sandbags, continue to support traffic control points, evacuations, hoist missions and swift water rescues.""We’re preparing for another round of heavy rain and strong wind beginning early Monday and going through much of the day. We expect to see numerous outages due to the combination of rain, wind and saturated and unstable soil," PSE announced Monday morning. PSE says it has rested crews ready to go whenever possible with staged equipment and stocked trucks. It is also opening local storm bases to bring crews in from outside the area. As of 8:03 a.m., there were 46 active outages impacting more than 6,000 customers.Part of Skagit County remains under a Flood Warning Monday morning as officials warn residents of expected high river levels this coming week. The County says waterways are still elevated and the dikes and levees are under strain.Burlington was ordered to evacuate on Friday, but those orders have since been lifted. The city is still urging people to keep sand bags around in preparation for this week's new round of rain.We are tracking the lingering flood impacts from last week's atmospheric event. FOX 13's Shawn Chitnis is in Auburn, where we have seen evacuations and road closures.At 7:11 a.m., WSDOT announced that southbound SR-167 had reopened in Kent and Auburn. Northbound remains closed due to water on the roadway.Officials previously closed both directions of SR-167 between Kent and Auburn from South 212th Street in Kent to 15th Street Northwest in Auburn due to water over the roadway. The following on- and off-ramps are also closed:Officials say there is no estimated time to reporen this 6-mile stretch of SR-167. Drivers are asked to seek alternate routes."I know folks want an update on this -- we don't have much to say at the moment because evacuations are still in effect," the City of Auburn announced. "We are actively monitoring water levels and we are not seeing actionable changes in either direction. We appreciate everyone's patience while we all work through this flooding event -- we wish we had good news to share."Auburn officials are asking anyone who lives near a body of water to check the agency's Ready-Set-Go guidance and consider signing up for King County Alerts."Due to regional flooding, road closures, evacuations, and hazardous conditions, including the risk of falling trees from overnight winds and saturated ground, all Green River College locations are closed and operations are suspended on Monday, Dec. 15 out of abundance of caution," the school announced.The college plans to reopen on Tuesday. If additional closures are announced, notification will be shared through the Safety Alert system.According to WSDOT, east and westbound US-2 is closed from milepost 50 near Skykomish to milepost 99 at Leavenworth due to rocks, trees and mud over the roadway in multiple locations. There are no detours available and no estimated time of reopening.State resources have been mobilized under the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan to support local agencies responding to flooding in south King County near Auburn and Kent.The authorization was approved by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste on Dec. 14, 2025, at the request of regional fire chiefs, as prolonged heavy rain caused widespread river flooding and prompted Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations. The State Emergency Operations Center is fully activated, with a FEMA urban search and rescue team deployed and state agencies coordinating assistance.More information about the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan is available here.While Monday's rain is expected to lead to river flooding again into Tuesday and Wednesday, it likely won't be exactly as impactful as last week. However, communities that were already hit hard by flooding could see rising waters again.Something else working in our favor? Cooler air will arrive by late Tuesday. This will convert rain over the mountains to snow — which in turn will decrease the amount of runoff from the mountains downstream into rivers. On the other hand, snow could affect pass travel starting Wednesday morning and lasting through next weekend. Check WSDOT restrictions before driving over the passes!While we’ve had a few days break in the rain, many are still running very fast and high. Based on the forecasts right now, both the Skagit and Snoqualmie Rivers could flirt with major flooding again either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Other rivers could approach major flooding. Water levels currently don't look as high as what those communities endured this week, but water control systems, dikes and levees will be tested again.Gusty winds will arrive with Monday’s atmospheric river. We could see gusts more than 50 mph in some spots. A Wind Advisory is posted from 10pm Sunday to 10 p.m. Monday. Because the soil is so saturated, it will likely be easier for trees to fall. We'll need to watch for any damages and power outages. This windstorm doesn't look major, but moderate impacts look likely.The snowpack took a HUGE hit during last week’s atmospheric river event. A return to a more normal pattern this week will lead to chances of mountain snow with lowland rain.Washington skiers will have to wait a little longer if they hope to hit the slopes as we close out 2025. With a devastating atmospheric river hitting northern communities, Stevens Pass Ski Resort is the latest to experience closures.
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