NW Washington News

December 27, 2022, the U.S. National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Skagit County through Wednesday morning on December 28, 2022. A combination of snow melt, heavy rain and back-to-back atmospheric rivers, King Tides, and incoming low pressures, could push some rivers and coastal flood plains to flood stage by this evening and extending into Wednesday afternoon.

Currently, the Skagit River is forecasted to peak at 27.12 feet near Concrete around 4:00 a.m. on December 28, 2022, and 27.34 feet in Mount Vernon around 4:00 p.m. on December 28, 2022. However, some King Tide flooding has already occurred in low-lying and flood prone locations including La Conner, Sharpes Corner, and Samish Island. Skagit County Department of Emergency Management will continue to monitor forecasts and take action, if necessary.

As a reminder, please do not drive over flooded roadways and practice “Don’t drown, turn around”. Follow road closure and cautionary signs and don’t drive around barricades. Water can be deeper and faster moving than anticipated, presenting risks to drivers. Additionally, please be reminded that water along SR20 near Fidalgo Bay, Similk Bay, Samish Island Road, and other areas inundated by King Tide flooding is salted water, that can potentially cause corrosion damage to vehicles. To monitor road closures, visit https://www.skagitcounty.net/reporting/roadclose/.

Specifically, along Samish Island Road, water is overtopping a damaged private dike that is not maintained or owned by the County. With another King Tide and forecasted river peak tomorrow, the private dike has potential to breach causing vehicles along the road to get washed away.

Residents should be prepared to potentially take action over the next 24 hours to protect their homes, families, and livestock from floodwaters. For health and safety related information about floods, visit https://www.skagitcounty.net/.../Documents/FloodBrochure.pdf.   

For updated river forecasts, please visit https://www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/EmergencyInformation/levels.htm or call the River Level Hotline at 7,(360) 416-1404. If you have questions, or are in need of sandbags, visit the list of sandbag locations or contact Skagit County Department of Emergency Management at (360) 416-1850.

For more emergency information, sign up for the emergency information listserv, CodeRed Alerts or follow Skagit County on Twitter @SkagitGov and Facebook @SkagitCountyWA. The River Level Hotline at (360) 416-1404 and www.skagitcounty.net/flood are updated frequently during events and can be resources for information as well.

Original source can be found here.