Western Washington bracing for catastrophic floods as atmospheric river brings torrential rain. The region is under threat of historic flooding, which could force up to 100,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to follow evacuation orders.
The Skagit County area, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is the worst-hit region, with officials ordering residents to leave immediately. The National Water Prediction Service forecasts major floods along several rivers, including the Snoqualmie River, which will continue to rise through Thursday morning.
Residents are being warned that catastrophic flooding is likely, with some areas already underwater due to heavy rain. US-12 has been cut off in several places, and the small town of Randle is isolated.
Amtrak has suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver on Thursday and Friday due to the level of the Skagit River. The situation is fluid and changing all the time, with rivers expected to hit historic levels as early as 4 am tomorrow and continue into Friday morning.
Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell expressed alarm at the forecasted river levels, saying "Please please please stay alert and follow evacuation orders." The Snoqualmie River will bring flooding to farmlands, roads, and residential areas from Snoqualmie to Fall City to Carnation.
Some rivers are expected to take several days to fully recede after the heavy rain subsides on Thursday afternoon. The region is also bracing for localized flash flooding in northern Idaho and Montana over the next 24 hours.
The threat of catastrophic flooding poses a significant challenge for the region, with many residents facing the very real possibility of being forced to leave their homes due to rising river levels.
The Skagit County area, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is the worst-hit region, with officials ordering residents to leave immediately. The National Water Prediction Service forecasts major floods along several rivers, including the Snoqualmie River, which will continue to rise through Thursday morning.
Residents are being warned that catastrophic flooding is likely, with some areas already underwater due to heavy rain. US-12 has been cut off in several places, and the small town of Randle is isolated.
Amtrak has suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver on Thursday and Friday due to the level of the Skagit River. The situation is fluid and changing all the time, with rivers expected to hit historic levels as early as 4 am tomorrow and continue into Friday morning.
Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell expressed alarm at the forecasted river levels, saying "Please please please stay alert and follow evacuation orders." The Snoqualmie River will bring flooding to farmlands, roads, and residential areas from Snoqualmie to Fall City to Carnation.
Some rivers are expected to take several days to fully recede after the heavy rain subsides on Thursday afternoon. The region is also bracing for localized flash flooding in northern Idaho and Montana over the next 24 hours.
The threat of catastrophic flooding poses a significant challenge for the region, with many residents facing the very real possibility of being forced to leave their homes due to rising river levels.
and I can only imagine how worried they must be about losin their homes 
especially with up to 100,000 residents potentially evacuatin' 
. The situation seems really fluid so I hope everyone stays safe & follows evacuation orders 
. I'm keepin an eye on the updates, wishin the people in affected areas all the best 
can you even imagine having to evacuate your home because of the rain? i feel bad for the people who live in skagit county, they're literally being told to leave their homes right now 
my friend's family lives near the snoqualmie river and they're supposed to stay indoors until it's safe to come out. i hope everything gets sorted out soon and no one loses anything 
i mean, i know western washington can get pretty rainy, but catastrophic floods? that's a whole different story 
. and it's not just the flooding itself, but also the fact that rivers are gonna be under water for days after the rain stops 
. i'm literally worried about those ppl who have to deal with this 
. and can you believe amtrak suspended trains? what about people who need to get to work or school 
. anyway, gotta keep an eye on this situation and hope everyone stays safe 
anyway, seriously though, 100k ppl having to evacuate? thats crazy talk! what's going on with the rivers? cant they do anything to stop it? 
hopefully everyone stays safe and dry.
what's really going on here? I mean i know we all heard about the atmospheric river and all that, but 100k people evacuating because of historic flooding? seems a bit extreme to me. have they even fact-checked these numbers or is it just speculation?