King County Flood Warning Center: Minor flooding possible on portions of White and Green rivers as storm’s impacts continue

January 13, 2021

Summary

The King County Flood Warning Center says minor flooding is possible along stretches of the Green and White rivers following a long stretch of heavy and widespread rainfall. The Flood Warning Center opened a midday on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to monitor potential flooding along the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers.

Story

The King County Flood Warning Center has added the Green and White rivers to the list of rivers that could experience minor flooding in some locations, the result of heavy rainfall that has sent river levels rocketing higher.

As of 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, the Green River near Auburn was flowing at 7,280 cubic feet per second (CFS), slightly higher than the Phase 2 flood alert level of 7,000 CFS for the Green River. At these flows, minor flooding could be expected in the rural areas of the Green River Valley upstream of Auburn.

At the same time, the White River at Mud Mountain Dam in south King County was flowing at 5,080 CFS, just above the river’s Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 5,000 CFS. Overbank flooding could be seen in areas upstream of the A Street Bridge in Auburn, and near Government Canal in Pacific. 

Elsewhere, the Snoqualmie River remains at a Phase 3 flood alert level, with moderate flooding possible in low-lying areas of the Snoqualmie Valley. As of 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, the sum of the Snoqualmie River’s three forks was 21,190 CFS, slightly higher than the Snoqualmie’s Phase 3 flood alert level of 20,000 CFS. 

Flows on the Tolt River are continuing to reaching a peak of 4,190 CFS at 3:15 a.m., well above the Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 3,500 CFS, with minor flooding possible in low-lying areas upstream of Carnation.

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.