Heavy rain expected throughout weekend, with flood watch for most rivers in effect

Heavy rain moved into the Puget Sound region, with a flood watch in effect for most rivers in Western Washington.

Atmospheric river to bring drenching rain, possible flooding

In the north Sound, at least four rivers are expected to reach moderate to major flood levels, including the Skykomish.

“People in the small town of Sultan say they will be prepared. They tell us flooding is expected this time of year,” said KIRO 7 TV’s Ryan Simms reporting from along the Skykomish. “… Current forecasts show the Skykomish River is likely to hit its highest levels in nearly two years.”

As of 2 p.m., the National Weather Service had flood warnings in effect for the rivers listed at this link.

Here's a snapshot of river flood warnings in effect as 2 PM this afternoon. #wawx pic.twitter.com/7CmF5XHMa3

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 12, 2021

According to the NWS, an atmospheric river is expected “to continue to funnel significant rain into the area” throughout the rest of the weekend as well, although it’s unclear at this time which areas will be hit the hardest.

Flood warnings and alerts in King County

List of river gauges

Skagit County’s Department of Emergency Management set up free sandbag stations for those who need to divert or block flooding. People were told to bring their own shovels to the district offices, fire stations, and other locations where they will find sandbags and sand to fill them.

During the morning commute, there were issues with standing water on roadways and clogged storm drains. Urban flooding is also a risk through the weekend.

“There is basically a flood watch for pretty much all of Western Washington,” said Jeff Michalski, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Any area that’s got a river flowing off the Cascades and the Olympics.”

KIRO 7 TV and the KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.

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