King County Flood Warning Center opens as rivers running high from earlier rains rise again

February 5, 2020

Summary

After a prolonged period of steady rainfall across much of the region, the King County Flood Warning Center opened at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to monitor minor flooding on rivers that hadn’t fully recovered from last week’s drenching rains. The White, Green and Cedar rivers and Issaquah Creek have all reached the Phase 2 flood alert level.

Story

On the heels of last week’s powerful winter rainstorm, another drenching rainfall this week has pushed several rivers up to minor flood phase, and the King County Flood Warning Center opened on Wednesday, Feb. 5, to monitor what could potentially be significant widespread flooding over the next few days.

As of 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the White, Green and Cedar rivers and Issaquah Creek are all at the Phase 2 flood alert level, with minor flooding possible in low-lying areas.

The Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers – often the first King County rivers to flood as a result of heavy rainfall – are also rising rapidly, and could reach the Phase 2 flood alert threshold by day’s end.

The King County Flood Warning Center will remain open as long as flood conditions persist. Flood Warning Center employees will monitor stream gauges and weather reports and will 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.