What we're covering
• Water rescues: Rivers across western Washington are bursting their banks and inundating towns and homes with fast-moving floodwater. Dozens of people were rescued as water levels reached up to 15 feet in Sumas.
• Evacuations underway: As many as 100,000 people in Washington face potential evacuations as the flood danger rises. Many are in Skagit County, where the entire 100-year floodplain has been ordered to evacuate.
• Rivers rise: Scattered light rain continues across parts of western Washington, but it’ll have little impact on river flooding. Some rivers won’t crest until Friday, and even those that have crested will remain dangerously high over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Hundreds of animals in Snohomish evacuated
Hundreds of animals have been evacuated to emergency stables across Snohomish County as flooding threatens barns and farms along the river, CNN affiliate KOMO TV reported on Thursday.
Evergreen State Fair Park took in 171 horses, 104 cows, 94 goats, and 21 chickens from local owners at its emergency stables, the site’s marketing specialist Amy Craven said.
“They’re very thankful that they have a place that they can go to take their animals,” Craven told KOMO TV, adding that stables have been quickly filling up all week.
Dozens brought to safety in Sumas as floodwaters reach up to 15 feet
Dozens of residents were rescued in Sumas, Washington, where water levels reached up to 3 feet in some areas and more than 15 feet in others.
Local farmers with tractors joined the rescue effort, alongside volunteer firefighters, local law enforcement, volunteer search and rescue, the US Coast Guard and US Border Patrol’s Borstar unit, Moe said.
Those rescued were taken to local shelters in the neighboring city of Lynden.
“This is the third major flood we’ve had in Sumas in five years, so many of our residents were just getting everything back to ‘normal’ after losing everything only a few years ago,” Moe added.
Several cities in Whatcom County experienced heavy flooding and damage after the Nooksack River dike was damaged, emergency officials said in a Facebook post.
Residents in Sumas, Nooksack, Everson, Marietta and portions of Ferndale were evacuated Wednesday after the river rose above levels recorded during a 2021 flood.
Watch: Dozens of pumpkins bob in flooded field
This field in Kent, Washington, has been flooded for several days, Jason Garland told CNN. The deluge sent dozens of pumpkins floating across the water.
The city, south of Seattle, is currently under flood watch as an atmospheric river dumps rain on the area, putting more stress on already swollen rivers.
The nearby Green River briefly went into moderate flood territory on December 9 and is forecast to rise again on December 12.
"Historic situation": Skagit River set a flood record in 2021 — and this deluge is expected to top that
The Skagit River flood is expected to crest at levels that Washington has never seen.
Flood levels are predicted to max at 46.13 feet in the city of Concrete, and 42.13 feet in Mount Vernon, according to Skagit County.
In 2021, the Skagit River set a record crest at 38.93 feet in Concrete and 33.11 feet in Mount Vernon. The floodwaters damaged 75% of the homes in the town of Sumas.
While flooding isn’t rare in the state, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said this year’s flood shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Ferguson has declared a statewide emergency and advised residents to evacuate according to their local authorities’ instructions.
Washington governor says no fatalities reported, but warns flooding remains a major risk
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said there are no reports of fatalities during the state’s flooding event, but warns residents the risk isn’t over yet, saying “the next 24 hours could not be more critical.”
“Tens of thousands” additional Washingtonians are at risk, Ferguson said, emphasizing, this is not something they have experienced before, this is another level.”
Ferguson highlighted the danger to cities such as Burlington and Sedro-Woolley, saying, “As long as there have been records, the river has never gotten this high in those areas.”
Ferguson echoed concerns from the National Weather Service that the flooding carries a risk for “significant loss of life. “That’s still the threat we’re under really across Washington state and many counties right now,” the governor said.
While many residents in northern areas have followed evacuations orders overnight, Ferguson expressed concern that some are returning home prematurely, believing the danger has passed because the rain has stopped.
The governor urged those residents in evacuation areas not to return until the orders have been removed.
Scattered light rain continues to wind down over Washington
Scattered light rain continues across portions of western Washington, but the heavy rain has come to an end.
The rain will remain light and scattered Thursday night into Friday before the region dries out completely late Friday through Saturday.
Over the next 24 hours, rainfall totals around half an inch are possible in the typically wetter locations like the Olympic Mountains and the Cascades. The lower elevations, such as Seattle, will see less than a tenth of an inch.
The additional light rain will do very little to impact the river flooding. Some rivers have crested, but others won’t crest until Friday and even those that have crested will remain dangerously high over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Stranded driver rescued off of car roof in Skagit County, Washington
A stranded driver in Skagit County was rescued off a car roof by the Washington state National Guard as water swallowed everything in its path.
The county currently has faced major flooding from a passing atmospheric river, leading to 78,000 evacuations, according to officials.
Watch: Skagit River surges to near-record levels, inundating farms and communities
Jonathan Petramala reports from Concrete, Washington, where the Skagit River has risen to near-record levels, flooding farms, towns, and entire communities under several feet of water.
California governor sends rescue teams to Washington to help with flooding response
California Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed Urban Search and Rescue teams from the state’s emergency services office to help in Washinton state’s flooding response.
“When our neighbors are in crisis, California doesn’t hesitate to lend our support,” he said in a post on X.
33 people in Snohomish County, Washington, rescued during major flooding
A total of 33 people and numerous pets were rescued in Snohomish County, Washington, over the last day as the area experienced major flooding, the county’s Regional Fire and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
Twenty-four people, four cats and two dogs were rescued overnight, with nine people and five pets rescued today, according to the group.
Video from the agency shows first responders wading through high water to conduct rescues, including one instance of a little girl being carried out of a flooded house.
Many roads in the area are flooded and are closed, and residents are urged to exercise caution, the group said.
Video Credit: Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue
This post has been updated with the latest number of people rescued.
Residents of Puyallup, Washington, apartment complex told to evacuate
Residents of the Crossroads at Meridian apartment complex in Puyallup, Washington, are being told to evacuate as the Puyallup River continues to rise, local police said in a post on X.
Police are at the scene to help residents evacuate, they said. Puyallup is about 10 miles southeast of Tacoma.
Nearby in Sumner, residents of Rainier Manor were also told to evacuate as the same river threatens the area.
Neighborhood in Sumner, Washington, told to evacuate due to levee leaks
Residents in the Rainier Manor neighborhood of Sumner, Washington, are being told to evacuate due to leaks in a nearby levee, the city posted on X.
Residents should leave now, it said.
Crews are on the way to add more sandbags to the levee, but there are flooding concerns as the Puyallup River is expected to rise before it crests at 4:00 p.m. local time.
Sumner is over 10 miles east of Tacoma.
Evacuation orders and highway closures in British Columbia because of flooding
Authorities in British Columbia, Canada, have issued evacuation orders and closed some highways, mostly in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver, as the province grapples with the same severe flooding inundating its neighbors in Washington state.
Residents in some parts of Abbotsford, a city near the border with Washington, have been ordered to evacuate their homes due to dangerous floodwaters from the Nooksack River. As of 11 a.m. local time today, at least 400 properties there were under evacuation orders, according to the city’s website.
A map from the province’s Transportation Ministry shows numerous highway closures today, including at a border crossing with the United States.
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene told reporters this morning that the province, which experienced significant flooding in 2021, is “prepared for difficult days and nights ahead.”
Photos show extent of flooding in Snohomish County
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from Snohomish County, where the Snohomish River has risen to a record high and set off dangerous and historic flooding.
As of 1 p.m. local time, the river had risen to 34.10 feet, surpassing a previous record set in 1990.
Photos from the ground and the air show extensive flooding in the area, with floodwaters surrounding homes and trapping livestock on tiny strips of land.
Residents of northern Idaho town told to leave area after major road washes out
Some residents in the town of Clark Fork, Idaho, are advised to leave the area after a major road was washed out following heavy rainfall, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said.
Around 330 to 400 residents are sheltering in place nearby as they are stuck because of the road closure, according to the Spokane branch of the National Weather Service.
“Affected residents have been contacted and services offered to assist them in leaving the area,” the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Alternate access to the area is extremely limited and we request that people stay out of the area” to allow for residents to exit and for emergency crews to get in and out.
The atmospheric river also dumped several inches of rain in parts of northern Idaho in the past few days. That’s caused levels on area waterways to surge in multiple communities, including Clark Fork. Lightning Creek in Clark Fork has risen about 9 feet since Monday and peaked at a record 19 feet Thursday morning.
Cities in Whatcom County flood after damage to Nooksack River dike
Several cities in Whatcom County experienced heavy flooding and damage after the Nooksack River dike was damaged, emergency officials said in a Facebook post.
Residents in Sumas, Nooksack, Everson, Marietta and portions of Ferndale were evacuated Wednesday after the nearby Nooksack River rose above levels recorded during a 2021 flood that devastated local communities.
Whatcom County is in northwest Washington, at the Canadian border. The border crossing in Sumas is closed due to flooding, and Everson City Hall and some businesses in the area were damaged overnight, county officials said, adding more assessments of the damage there would take place today.
A landslide overnight also damaged one home in Kendall and flooding led to several bridge closures in the county, they said.
Washington governor talking with FEMA amid emergency declaration request
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson says he’s met with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is attempting to secure federal assistance to recover from historic river flooding across the state.
His focus will be on what the state is currently facing while also persuading the federal government on the gravity of the situation, Ferguson said.
“The descriptions that we’ve heard from the federal government yesterday, the National Weather Service, as describing it as potentially catastrophic and potentially having significant loss of life, still remains in place. That is our approach to this,” he said.
The governor said he plans to meet with FEMA officials again today.
Rain is tapering off in Washington, but another atmospheric river looms for next week
Rain from the days-long atmospheric river is finally coming to an end, but the dangerous river flooding will continue in western Washington as the water winds its way through the watershed.
However, there’s a new potential threat brewing next week.
A weak system will bring light rain Sunday, but a stronger storm hauling a new atmospheric river into the Pacific Northwest is right on its heels Monday. It could be followed by yet another storm Tuesday into Wednesday.
Details on the severity of the threat are still coming into focus, but the ground is already soaked, so more heavy rain could swell up rivers and streams quickly and trigger additional landslides.
Drone video shows floodwaters up to roofs of houses in Hamilton
Flooding along the Skagit River inundated Hamilton, Washington. This drone video shows floodwaters up to the roofs of people’s houses.
No major rescues in Skagit County as National Guard arrives in the area
There have been no major rescue operations so far in Skagit County, Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jeffrey Willard said during a briefing Thursday.
The sheriff’s office is doing patrols to make sure anyone having issues with flooding can get assistance, he said.
There are currently 100 National Guard troops in the county, with 200 more on the way, according to state Emergency Management Director Robert Ezelle.
