Heavy rainfall in Western Washington is predicted to cause historic flooding over the next 48 hours. Communities are under Flood Watches and Warnings, with the potential for catastrophic flooding by Thursday morning. State officials, including the National Guard, are on standby to assist with evacuations and provide resources.
by Colleen West, KOMO News, KOMO News StaffAn image of people working to make a barricade of sandbags near the Green River on Dec. 10, 2025. Heavy rain is falling across western Washington , heading into a period of historic flooding over the next 48 hours.
Steady rain will continue throughout the day and overnight. A Flood Watch is still in effect for most of western Washington as heavy rain continues to pour, causing road closures,and requested the help of the National Guard. Ferguson discussed the criticality of the situation and urged anyone who recieves evacuation orders to comply.Many communities are also under Flood Warnings with several inches of rain expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Some areas will likely see catastrophic flooding by Thursday morning. Heavy rain in the mountains, melting snow, and heavy rain in the lowlands are a guarantee of flooding. The heavy rain will continue and through midday Thursday.A level one status means state emergency personnel are in constant contact with local managers and are monitoring conditions around the clock. Ferguson says teams are ready to assist communities that need help, and the Washington National Guard is on standby with additional resources if the storms worsen.A list with links to the websites and social media pages for the emergency management divisions of every county in Washington state is availableOngoing major flooding across the Northern Cascades and Puget Sound regions of the Pacific Northwest is expected to worsen and likely reach record levels later this week.As many as 34 gaged locations along major streams and rivers in the region have reached, or are forecast to reach, moderate-to-major flood stage this week. At least 6 of these locations are forecast to reach record flood stage. These include:With rivers already at moderate-to-major flood stage across the region, another surge of heavy rainfall is likely today and into tomorrow, bringing an additional 4-6 inches of rain to the Olympics and Cascades, with localized amounts of up to 10 inches possible.Level 2 –" BE SET" evacuation notice for people who live in the area High Cedars Golf Course community, south of the Puyallup River near:People in the Level 2 areas need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue officials said.4th St NE – under the N Meridian Ave bridgeIn Orting, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office had three water rescues in progress. One was at Bill and Dan's RV park, where parked RVs had flooded.near Greenwater due to water on the highway. The closure in both directions spans from Mud Mountain Road to 583rd Avenue East. Both directions of State Route 410 are also closed in Sumner at Traffic Avenue. The westbound lanes are closed at SR 162. The eastbound lanes are closed at Traffic Avenue. In Auburn, many people are on alert as the heavy rain continues. One of the places where the flooding is most evident is at a Chevron gas station at 277th and Auburn Way N/Central Ave in Auburn. There, the pumps and minimart are partially underwater. The Green River is at flood phase 3, and water is already spilling over parts of Green Valley Road. The river was at phase 4 on Tuesday night. Water is still pooled across low-lying roads, and emergency crews are urging people to be ready to leave while access is still possible.King County Emergency Management officials say river levels along Southeast Green Valley Road will remain high through Friday, with some areas already experiencing major flooding. The main stretch with high river levels is between Southeast Auburn Black Diamond Road and 218th Ave SE. Drivers are still able to leave the area, but only heading eastbound toward the Whitney Bridge, not west. Officials with King County Emergency Management are reminding people to prepare for power outages and travel delays. Also in King County, the Cedar River reached flood phase 4 at around 11:20 a.m., bringing the risk of extreme flooding. Near Snoqualmie, State Route 202 is closed between Meadowbrook Way and Snoqualmie Parkway; traffic is being directed to Meadowbrook Way towards Snoqualmie Casino.Residents in downtown Snoqualmie wishing to evacuate should make their decision soon, otherwise water levels may prevent their movement, i.e.: road closures, the city said Wednesday.Snohomish County has declared an emergency for the weather event. Many roads have been closed by flooding. In Everett, Rotary Park was gated at about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday due to concerns about the Snohomish River flooding. There was already sizable urban flooding near the river, and the roads were also beginning to puddle.conditions are expected to worsen., and anyone who needs to be evacuated from their home or needs a warm place to stay as the rain continues to roll through. So far, one mobile home park had to be evacuated. Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Lucia Schmit said they are gathering all departments together to have a holistic approach to help residents through the flooding across the county. Schmit says there is a chance other areas will need to be vacated as well, particularly those that flood regularly. In the meantime, she wants to remind residents to never drive or walk through flooded roads, even if the water appears to be low, and not to go around barriers for closed roads. “The most common cause of death during a flooding event is people trying to drive through water on roads. We’ve had to do a number of car rescues,” said Schmit.Skagit County officials are asking those in low-lying, flood-prone areas to evacuate. Historic flooding is projected for the county.Emergency management departments are working with cities and local agencies to help residents as they brace for even more potential flooding in the coming days. The projections for the Skagit River at Mount Vernon were just updated Tuesday night to reach more than 41 feet by 4 a.m. on Friday morning, a record-setting forecast. “The forecast and the impact of the flooding will dictate who will be evacuated, if there are evacuations,” said Skagit County Emergency Operations Center spokesperson Andrea Harrison. The Skagit County Emergency Operations Center is working with the American Red Cross to open a shelter in east county for anyone who may be displaced by floodwaters.forced the closure of major roads and several schools on Tuesday as a second round of heavy rain pushed local rivers toward major flood stage. U.S. 12 near Morton remained closed Wednesday, but has since reopened. Sections of SR 508 and SR 6 were closed Tuesday due to water over the roadway. The Interstate 5 ramps at Exit 72 in Napavine are shut down, and several vehicles in the area are submerged. Dozens of other roads are restricted or closed in Randle, Packwood, Morton, Chehalis, Centralia, Winlock and other areas.While the forecast is expected to dry out on Friday, that likely won't be the end of our atmospheric rivers, the National Weather Service warned on Wednesday. Periods of heavy rain, high winds, and heavy mountain snow at high elevations are likely across the Pacific Northwest, and possibly northern California, during mid-to-late December. With the current flooding across western Washington, the high rivers and saturated soil will likely persist through late December.The heavy rain may last through Jan. 2."Whatcom County Sheriff Emergency Operations Center Director advised that the City of Sumas, including the Port of Sumas, is anticipated to be inundated with water within the next 5 hours as river levels crest," wrote the Area Port of Blaine. "Operations at the Sumas Port of Entry will be temporarily suspended until a determination is made to reopen roads in the area."SAN ANTONIO - Crews are on the scene of a major accident involving two vehicles on the West Side.The accident happeend just before 7:30 a.m. at the intesectionAn inmate was found unresponsive on her bunk and later pronounced dead at a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office facility Sunday morning.SAN ANTONIO - Authorities are investigating the discovery of a deceased person on the Southwest Side near Pearsall Park.Officers were called out around 4:30 p.SAN ANTONIO - Authorities are alerting the community to a concerning trend of vehicle burglaries, particularly targeting vehicles with Disabled Veteran license
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