A flood warning remains in place for the Skagit River near Concrete as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The next anticipated river crest is expected early Thursday with water rising to the 47-foot mark around 4 a.m. The record river crest is 42 feet.
Skagit County officials are encouraging people living in low-lying and flood-prone areas to make a plan for potential evacuations. Those include areas in Concrete, Marblemount, Hamilton, Cape Horn, Rockport and Lyman.
“If you believe you or your home is at risk or if you need extra time to evacuate, please leave sooner rather than later,” the county said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. The Skagit County Emergency Operations Center is working with American Red Cross to open a shelter in East County for those displaced by floodwater.
More rain is expected Tuesday night through Wednesday in Skagit County and Whatcom County.
The Nooksack River is expected to crest Wednesday morning but will remain within moderate flooding levels. “If this forecast holds, we could see flooding similar to the February 2020 flood,” Everson Police Department said. Sandbags will be available starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning at the Everson City Shop (605 Robinson St.) for both Everson and Nooksack residents. Public works crews are placing sandbags along Emerson Road.
Tips for those living in areas of potential flooding can be found in the Skagit Flood Awareness and Safety publication.
Raul Galindo drives through a flooded section of North Shore Lane in Concrete’s Cape Horn neighborhood on Dec. 9. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
3:45 p.m.
Whatcom County Public Works has closed Polinder Road between Hannegan Road and Bylsma Road.
3:13 p.m.
Two new Whatcom County roads have water over the roadway: Bayon Road east of Marine Drive and Wickersham Road, west of Innis Creek Road. Eleven Skagit County roads now have water on the roadway, but no roads have been closed yet.
11:59 a.m.
Ali Thompson locks the door to her trailer on Dec. 9 parked in the lot of the First Baptist Church in Hamilton before heading out with Joshua Finnick to get groceries and do their laundry in preparation for the next few days. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
Ali Thompson and Joshua Fishnick moved their trailer to the First Baptist parking lot Monday afternoon. It took about two hours to get the RV packed and transferred.
“We were some of the first over here,” Fishnick said. “Because it’s first-come, first-serve.”
Thompson checked the river gauge and noted the river forecast of 41 feet is near the record 42-foot level.
Over the next few days, the couple will go to their jobs at Costco and prepare for a prolonged stay in the church parking lot. They expect to be back at the trailer park sometime next week, depending on whether the lot dries out quickly.
11:50 a.m.
John Solotky points out his neighbors’ trailers in the parking lot of First Baptist Church. About half of the residents on his block have already left their trailer plots. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)
At the Hamilton First Baptist Church, owners of 10 RVs have parked in the lot. The Red Cross had not arrived as of Tuesday morning. Some residents are traveling to Rasar State Park to take showers.
John Solotky, 57, moved his RV to the church Sunday. He didn’t want to wait.
“You don’t want to come when everyone is in a mad rush,” he said, pointing out his trailer was parked in the same place it was in 2023 during the last major flood.
Solotky frequently checks the river gauge online. He also walks past the river every day while out with his dog.
“We’re at Mother Nature’s mercy,” he said. “You’d think with this many years of flooding, they would have a better levee system built here.”
11:47 a.m.
Whatcom County road closures:
- Barrett Road at Paradise Road is closed.
- Ferndale Road, north of Marine Drive is closed at the gates, water is over the roadway north of Slater Road.
- Hannegan Road between Lynden city limits and Polinder Road is closed.
- Marine Drive between Lummi Shore Road and Rural Avenue is closed.
- Bylsma Road is closed north of East Wiser Lake Road, and has water over the roadway north of Bridge at Polinder.
- Hampton Road south of Lynden city limits has water over the roadway.
9:49 a.m.
The Skagit River in Hamilton has crested earlier than anticipated because of heavy rain further south, according to the town. Flood sirens are anticipated to go off when the Concrete river gauge hits 28 feet. Residents living in RVs were encouraged Monday night to move to the Hamilton Baptist Church.
9:44 a.m.
Six roads in Whatcom County are closed, or have water over the roadway, as of 9:20 a.m.
- Barrett Road at Paradise Road is closed.
- Ferndale Road, north of Slater Road is closed.
- Hannegan Road between Lynden city limits and Polinder Road is closed.
- Marine Drive between Lummi Shore Road and Rural Avenue is closed.
- Bylsma Road has water over the roadway north of East Wiser Lake Road, and north of Bridge at Polinder.
- Hampton Road south of Lynden city limits has water over the roadway.
Latest updates on the Whatcom County Public Works website can be found here.
No emergency road closures have been reported yet in Skagit County, although eight roads in the county were reported to have water over them throughout this morning.
9:30 a.m.
People can reach out to the Skagit County Department of Emergency Management for help coordinating sandbags, according to Jenn Rogers, county communications manager.
Flood events typically start in upriver, low-lying communities, where the river will crest first.
“We can’t anticipate evacuations until we have more clarity on how intense the flooding event will be,” Rogers said in an email. “If evacuations are recommended, we will send out notices via press releases, reverse 911 notifications to cell phones, and law enforcement will help with any door knocking as needed.”
9:25 a.m.
Flooding closed many Skagit Valley roads in February 2020. (Photo courtesy of Skagit County)
No Whatcom or Skagit schools are closed today due to the flooding, although there may be some transportation impacts later today.
Concrete School District asked students who live on Northshore Drive to make their way to Cape Horn Drive to meet the school bus this morning. The district continues to monitor conditions, and will determine if changes are needed for afternoon school bus routes or after-school activities, according to a message sent to families early Tuesday morning.
Sedro-Woolley School District is also monitoring conditions, but all bus routes are currently clear.
8:09 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Concrete until further notice because of heavy rains and predicted river flooding.
The Skagit River in Concrete is expected to crest to 32.62 feet at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, according to the weather service. At that stage, the river flow is expected to be above the major flooding threshold. That means there could be flooding from Rockport through Sedro-Woolley and evacuations may take place.
A second crest of the Skagit River in Concrete is expected around 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, according to the weather service. The crest is anticipated to reach nearly 37 feet.
Mount Vernon may also see potential flooding with the Skagit River predicted to crest to 32.04 feet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. Another crest in Mount Vernon is expected Friday morning.
“Based on the current forecast, those living in flood prone areas should take action to protect their homes, families, and livestock from floodwaters,” Skagit County said in a statement.
For now, all roads around Skagit County remain open. But that could change if flooding impacts the roadway. Officials are reminding people to follow all road closures and not to drive around barricades. Water can be deeper and faster-moving than anticipated.
The weather service is also warning of potential landslides because of the heavy rain. A landslide was reported in North Bend Monday evening along Interstate 90, causing delays.
This story is developing, check back for updates.
