King County Flood Warning Center closing as rivers conditions stabilize following significant widespread flooding

February 11, 2020

Summary

The King County Flood Warning Center closed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, following six days of round-the-clock operations during a major flood event that affected rivers across the region.
County employees will continue to monitor weather forecasts and stream conditions.

Story

The King County Flood Warning Center closed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, after a six-day stretch of continuous operations to closely monitor a wide range of flooding along numerous county rivers and streams. 

The Flood Warning Center opened in the later afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 5, after heavy rainfall sent the White, Green and Cedar rivers, and Issaquah Creek into Phase 2 minor flood levels. The Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers soon joined the list with minor flooding.

As intense rainfall continued across much of central King County, Issaquah Creek and the Cedar and Green rivers all reached Phase 4 flood alert levels, with major flooding that led to significant damage – particularly along Issaquah Creek and the Cedar River, where flows reached levels that hadn’t been seen since 2006 and 2009, respectively. The Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers reached Phase 3 flood alert levels, with widespread moderate flooding.

King County flood patrol crews were in the field every day during this lengthy flood event to check flood-protection structures and report on conditions back to Flood Warning Center employees. Those assessments are ongoing as river levels continue to drop.

County employees will continue to monitor river gauges and weather reports, and updated information on river conditions will be reported 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.


# # #

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.