Home Care In Pacific, WA

Nearly 10 rivers are currently at Flood Phase 4, the highest and most dangerous warning phase.

The Snoqualmie River reached Flood Phase 4 at 5 a.m. Tuesday, King County reported.

“The river is expected to rise to a crest of 60.0 feet [Thursday] afternoon,” officials stated. “It will then fall below flood stage late Friday morning.”

Phase 4 means residential areas could experience “dangerously high velocities and flooding of homes,” officials wrote. Additional roads that could overtop are Moon Valley Road S.E., S.E. David Powell Road, most of Neal Road S.E., SR 202 upstream of Fall City, W. River Road, S.E. 19th Way, portions of Fall City-Carnation Road S.E. (SR 203), N.E. 16th Street, N.E. 100th Street, N.E. 124th Street, N.E. 138th Street, N.E. Woodinville-Duvall Road, and 288th Ave N.E.

“The Snoqualmie River will cause major flooding from the town of Snoqualmie downstream through Fall City, inundating most of the farmland in the flood plain, some residential areas, and many roads,” officials stated.

The Skykomish River also reached Flood Phase 4, with possible riverbank erosion and flood debris. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the river remains in Flood Phase 4.

“The Skykomish River will cause severe, near-record flooding from Index downstream to Monroe,” officials stated. “The river will flood many homes, cover much of the farmland, close most roads, and overtop most dikes.”

In addition to the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers, the Cedar River, the Cowlitz River, the Grays River, the Skagit River, the Snohomish River, the Wenatchee River, and the White River are at Phase 4 flooding levels.

“At 33.0 feet, the Snohomish River will cause severe near-record flooding,” officials stated. “Flood waters will likely overtop levees with major levee damage possible.”

Additionally, the Skagit River is expected to set new flooding records.

The Chehalis River, the Green River, the Nooksack River, the Skokomish River, the Skookumchuck River, the White River, and the Yakima River at Horlick, Parker, and Kiona are all at Phase 3 flooding.

A storm was drenching Washington State and British Columbia for a fourth day early Thursday after prompting evacuations and road closures, as parts of the Pacific Northwest endured what could be some of the region’s worst flooding in decades.

Evacuation orders were in place for some residents along the Skagit River, northeast of Seattle, and along the Puyallup River, southeast of Tacoma, among other areas. The office of Gov. Bob Ferguson of Washington said in an email that up to 100,000 residents in the state could face such orders.

The rain began to weaken early Thursday. But rivers across the region were continuing to swell, with the Nooksack, Skagit, and Snohomish expected to take several more days to crest and recede.

Forecasters reported that some rivers were moving with a force and swiftness never before recorded. The National Weather Service has warned of “locally catastrophic” river flooding, with the Skagit and Snohomish rivers predicted to crest at or near record levels.

Mr. Ferguson signed an emergency declaration on Wednesday afternoon and said he had activated the National Guard. He said that 300 Guard members would be ready to handle requests for help with the state’s flood response by Thursday.

Major highways were closed in British Columbia early Thursday as the rain set off flooding and falling rocks, posing avalanche hazards.

Unusually heavy rain has soaked the Pacific Northwest since Monday, as a sopping wet storm has draped across the region and British Columbia.

Officials issued an evacuation order and a local state of emergency on Wednesday in a part of Fraser Valley, in southwestern British Columbia, as flood warnings were in effect throughout the region.

East of Seattle, along the Snoqualmie river, emergency crews worked overnight to rescue several people stranded in cars by rising floodwaters. Separately, a landslide on Wednesday evening closed parts of Interstate 90. A section of the highway’s eastbound lanes outside Seattle remained closed early Thursday.

And in Snohomish County, north of Seattle, several people were rescued by helicopter after they were trapped by floodwaters in their homes, according to the County Sheriff.

With more rain falling on Wednesday, forecasters urgently expanded flood warnings, as many areas that were already experiencing some flooding braced for more.

“I’m very concerned,” Steve King, the hydrologist in charge at the Northwest River Forecast Center in Portland, Ore., said on Wednesday.

“It’s as serious of a situation as I’ve seen in my history here,” he said.

The storm’s impacts are far-reaching.

The storm is pulling a plume of moisture off the Pacific Ocean and sending downpours of rain across Oregon and Washington and into British Columbia. There officials warned of flooding in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver, and heavy snow in the mountains prompted warnings of a high risk of avalanches.

The storm’s reach has spread into Idaho, where some rivers are expected to flood in the state’s north panhandle, and even as far as the eastern United States, where the moisture sent through the upper atmosphere is supercharging the chance of heavy snow this week.

But it is Western Washington that is facing the most severe and widespread effects, as the storm’s moisture is sent flowing up the Cascades before being wrung out like a sponge and spilling down the mountainsides as water.

The resulting rain has been slowly overflowing the region’s rivers, causing flooding that is expected to continue through the end of the week.

By Wednesday morning, eight rivers in Western Washington had reached major flood stage, which typically means flooding is widespread and threatening transportation, businesses and residences. Nearly 20 more rivers were poised to reach that stage before the end of the weekend, forecasters said, though they warned that the forecast was constantly evolving.

The hazards are not expected to cease with the arrival of clearer weather. The risk of dangerous landslides will continue throughout the week and into the weekend because of the saturated ground, even as clearer weather is forecast for Saturday.

The flood risk is especially high on two rivers in Washington.

The Skagit and Snohomish Rivers are both located north of Seattle, meandering through the valleys between the Cascades and Puget Sound.

The watersheds received four to 10 inches of rain in an initial round of rain on Monday and were expected to get just as much again by Thursday morning, according to Jason Elliott, service coordination hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center.

Mr. Elliott said that waters were expected to top multiple levees along these rivers and would likely surpass, by several feet, records that have stood since 1990. Devastating flooding in 1990 caused damage to farms, homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, with the estimated damage exceeding $100 million, according to a report from the National Weather Service.

While the Snohomish passes mostly through farmland and small towns, the Skagit runs through some more populated areas. Multiple towns are threatened including, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, Concrete and Mount Vernon, which are together home to about 60,000 people.

“This is a particularly widespread major event for this part of the country,” Mr. Elliott said. “It has been 35 years since anything close has been observed in this area.”

It is not possible to draw a connection between any particular heavy rainstorm and climate change in real-time. But in general, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and moisture is the fuel for atmospheric rivers like the ones affecting the Pacific Northwest this week. Scientists are studying how the changing climate is impacting these moisture plumes that are the foremost source of water on the West Coast.

The Pacific north-west is reeling from catastrophic flooding that inundated communities across the region this week, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting a federal emergency declaration.

Torrential rain rapidly filled rivers and triggered flooding on Thursday from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, causing mudslides and tearing homes from their foundations. Authorities have closed dozens of roads in response to the emergency and issued evacuation warnings for 100,000 people. More rain is expected over the weekend and through next week.

Bob Ferguson, the governor of Washington, on Friday morning warned that flooding “remains extremely unpredictable” and rivers were expected to continue to rise. He declared a statewide emergency on Wednesday in response to the weather, and Donald Trump on Friday approved the state’s request for an emergency declaration, Ferguson said.

The Washington national guard has been deployed to affected areas and helped to rescue residents trapped by floodwaters. Meanwhile, California announced it would send 150 emergency personnel, including search-and-rescue teams, to the state to assist with the response.

The intense rain began earlier in the week with a storm system meteorologists call an atmospheric river, a vast airborne current of dense moisture funneled inland from the Pacific Ocean, that inundated the region with water.

Western Washington state bore the brunt of the storm, with flood watches posted for the Cascade and Olympic mountains and Puget Sound, as well as for a northern slice of Oregon, home to some 5.8 million people, according to the US National Weather Service. In recent days, authorities have rescued people from rooftops and submerged vehicles. The Associated Press reported that in Snoqualmie, a herd of elk could be seen swimming through neck-high water on a flooded football field.

The same storm system has also brought heavy showers and flooding to western Montana and an edge of northern Idaho.

Early on Friday morning, all the residents of the small city of Burlington, in western Washington, roughly halfway between Seattle and Bellingham, a total of around 10,000 people, were told by the authorities to evacuate. National Guard were going door to door and shelters were being prepared, local media outlets reported.

In addition, roughly 100,000 residents across wider western Washington on Friday were under level 3 evacuation orders urging them to immediately move to higher ground, the bulk of them in rural Skagit county north of Seattle, said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the state emergency management division.

About 3,800 evacuees were believed to be in need of temporary shelter, Skagit county emergency chief Julie de Losada said.

First responders have rescued several people, including by helicopter in King and Whatcom counties in recent days.

The worst flooding was reported along the Skagit, Snohomish and Puyallup rivers. More than 30 highways and dozens of smaller roads were closed due to flooding across the region, state officials said. In some communities, residents have been urged to boil water to ensure it is safe to consume.

Several lengthy segments of the BNSF Railway, a major freight line serving the Pacific north-west, were washed out or closed due to flooding, the company said, citing reported rainfall of 10 to 17in or more in many areas.

Some rivers have been cresting several feet above record levels and on Friday morning had not receded. The forecast is for lighter rain on Friday and a mostly dry Saturday but meteorologists predict more heavy rain on Sunday for the region.

In British Columbia, five of the six Canadian highways leading to the Pacific port city of Vancouver were shut down due to floods, falling rocks and the risk of avalanches, local authorities said on Thursday.

“This situation is evolving and very dynamic,” said the transport ministry of British Columbia.

Access to Vancouver relies largely on a limited highway and railway network that crosses the Rocky Mountains.

While such storms are not uncommon on the US Pacific coast, meteorologists say they are likely to become more frequent and extreme over the next century if global heating from the human-induced climate crisis continues at current rates.

Thousands under evacuation orders as flooding hits Pacific Northwest

Watch: Record-setting floods hit the United States’ Pacific Northwest

Residents in the Pacific Northwest of the US and western Canada are bracing for potentially life-threatening floods as several days of heavy rain have swollen a number of rivers and tributaries.

On Thursday, the National Water Center reported heavy flooding along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers in the state of Washington that is expected to continue through Friday.

In Canada, major highways to Vancouver have been closed because of flooding, debris and the risk of avalanches.

There are evacuation orders in place for thousands of people in the US and Canada, and authorities have warned more rain is on the way.

In the US, the governor of Washington state, Bob Ferguson, declared a statewide emergency and estimated 100,000 residents could face evacuation orders.

The emergency declaration warned that rain and possibly snow at mountain elevations would exacerbate flooding conditions.

Governor Ferguson said there were no reports of fatalities, but warned residents the risk wasn't over yet.

"The flooding levels we're looking at are potentially historic in nature, so we just want to emphasise how serious the situation is," Ferguson said at a news briefing,

The Skagit River "will be cresting tomorrow mid-morning. Again, that is expected to be historic level on that river", he told CNN on Thursday evening.

He warned it would take "weeks" to recover from the storm, and appealed for help from the federal government.

An evacuation order was lifted in the Orting community south of Seattle, but Central Pierce Fire and Rescue cautioned residents to "remain vigilant into the evening".

"Remember, turn around don't drown," the department wrote on Thursday on X.

More than 30 highways were closed across the state, with closures also affecting commuters in the Seattle area.

The flooding has hit all of western Washington, as well as further south along the Oregon coast.

Skagit County, a major agricultural area north of Seattle, issued an immediate evacuation order to residents who live on the floodplain. Some 75,000 people would be evacuated from low-lying areas, officials said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday the Skagit river would cause "severe near-record flooding from Rockport downstream through Sedro Woolley".

It warned of "deep and swift flood waters" especially in the Cape Horn, Hamilton and Thunderbird area.

Rescues are taking place around the state, involving inflatable boats and helicopters.

Seven-year-old Jocelyn Rosas choked back tears as she returned to find her home in a mobile home park underwater in Monroe, a city northeast of Seattle.

"The only clothes I've got are just my pyjamas," she told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Her father, Jose Rosas, said the family moved about two months ago after his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The move was intended to save money for his wife's treatment.

"It's hard because we had to explain to her why we moved over here," Rosas said.

"And now it's gone," he said of their home.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said in an overnight social media post that they had rescued "multiple" people by helicopter after they got trapped in their homes in Sultan, Washington, about 40 miles (65km) north-east of Seattle.

Officials said the Snohomish River was experiencing major flooding and "dancing with records" as water lapped against a local flood wall.

King County - which contains the city of Seattle - and Snohomish County officials have warned the road closures could last for several days.

At the town of Concrete, the high water mark upstream was below estimates, but authorities have warned people that record levels elsewhere were still possible.

Across the border in Canada's British Columbia, there are multiple evacuation orders and flood warnings.

City officials said the Nooksack River was expected to overflow its banks, and they anticipate flooding, though not as severe as in 2021, when it caused significant damage and five deaths in the province.

Most major highways to the Lower Mainland are now closed, according to the travel-information website Drive BC.

The US-Canada Sumas Border Crossing is also closed to commercial traffic.

The entire region, spanning parts of both the US and Canada, has received torrential rain from an atmospheric river - a phenomenon where water evaporates into the air and is carried by the wind and forms long currents that surge through the sky like rivers flow on land.

Forecasters have warned of another storm on Sunday.

Atmospheric rivers have dumped more than 15 inches of rain on parts of Washington state in the last few days, sparking historic river flooding and submerging neighborhoods -- and the threat is far from over.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has declared a state of emergency, stressed that the flooding "is extremely unpredictable."

Up to 100,000 people in Washington state could be ordered to evacuate.

On Friday morning, all residents of Burlington -- a city about 70 miles north of Seattle -- were ordered to evacuate, and members of the National Guard are going door-to-door to help people leave, according to Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.

Multiple rivers are at major flood stage on Friday.

The Cedar River at Renton swelled to a new record height overnight, topping 18 feet, causing major flooding in Renton, including at the local airport. The river is expected to remain above its flood stage until Saturday afternoon.

The Snoqualmie River near Carnation topped 60 feet, which has led to flooding in Falls City, Carnation and Duvall.

The Snohomish River at Snohomish is at a record high of 34 feet, putting extreme pressure on levees. When the river reaches 33 feet or higher at this location, floodwaters are likely to overtop the levees, and major levee damage is possible.

Rescue efforts are ongoing.

Eastside Fire and Rescue, which services parts of King County just east of Seattle, started conducting water rescues on Wednesday. Three adults and a dog were rescued after their home flooded, and two adults and a child were rescued in another incident.

EF&R provided assistance with a swiftwater rescue in Snoqualmie due to flooding. Two adults and one child were not injured but relocated to drier ground. The waters will continue to rise. Please plan ahead and stay aware of rising water. #wawx pic.twitter.com/bILoqqIqsi

— Eastside Fire & Rescue (@EastsideFire) December 10, 2025

Eastside Fire and Rescue released video of the moment two drivers were rescued by helicopter Wednesday night. After the drivers were caught in the floodwaters, they were forced to flee to higher ground, with one person climbing to the top of their car and the other seeking safety in a tree, officials said.

"Stay home and don't travel unless necessary," the sheriff's office urged.

The Coast Guard said it rescued people from a flooded home in Sumas, along the Washington-Canada border, after the water forced the residents into their attic.

In Pierce County, just south of Seattle, officials warned, "Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult. 12 inches of water can carry away most cars."

The flood threat is far from over. Though this round of rain will end on Friday, the next round will start on Sunday and bring rain and mountain snow every day for at least seven days in a row.

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