King County Flood Warning Center opens to monitor minor flooding along rain swollen Tolt, Snoqualmie rivers

January 12, 2021

Summary

The King County Flood Warning Center opened at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12 to monitor potential minor flooding from heavy rainfall along the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers.

Story

Heavy rainfall pushed flows on the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers to a minor flood phase shortly after midday on Tuesday, Jan. 12, and the King County Flood Warning Center has opened to closely monitor conditions as significant additional rainfall is expected.

As of 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 12, the Tolt River was flowing at 3,890 cubic feet per second (CFS), well above the river’s Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 3,500 CFS. At these flows, minor flooding in low-lying areas upstream of the City of Carnation could be expected.

Meanwhile, the sum of the Snoqualmie River’s three forks was recorded at 12,080 CFS at 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 12, slightly higher than the river’s Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 12,000 CFS. Floodwaters could occur in low-lying areas along the river at these flows. 

Flood Warning Center employees following COVID-19 safety precautions implemented at the beginning of the 2020-21 flood season in October are monitoring stream gauges and weather reports to provide updated information on river conditions as necessary. Real-time river level information is available online at kingcounty.gov/flood.

During river flooding events, King County serves as a clearinghouse for information on flood conditions, operating a recorded message center with continuous updates of river gauge readings and flood phases and other related information. Reach the Flood Warning Center at 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263. Interpreter assistance in multiple languages is available.

King County offers everyone free access to KC Flood Alerts, an automated system that allows subscribers to receive customized alerts of potential flooding for any or all of King County’s seven major river systems.

Immediate notifications about pending high water are sent to email, smart phone text or voicemail, providing subscribers with the maximum amount of warning about potential high water.

Find the KC Flood Alerts link at kingcounty.gov/flood. This website is a valuable preparedness resource, with all of the latest information about river levels and road conditions, plus weather reports and other critical links.

Questions or assistance with flooding on smaller streams or urban drainage problems can be called in to 206-477-4811 during business hours, or 206-477-8100 after hours or on weekends.

Problems on County maintained roads can be reported by calling 206-477-8100 or 1-800-KC-ROADS.

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The King County Flood Control District is a special purpose government created to provide funding and policy oversight for flood protection projects and programs in King County. The Flood Control District’s Board is composed of the members of the King County Council. The Water and Land Resources Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks develops and implements the approved flood protection projects and programs. Information is available at kingcountyfloodcontrol.org.