King County Flood Warning Center: Heavy rainfall leads to potential minor flooding along White River

January 7, 2022

Summary

The King County Flood Warning Center has issued a Phase 2 flood alert for the White River below Mud Mountain Dam, with minor flooding possible – the result of steady rainfall across the region.

Story

King County’s Flood Warning Center has issued a Phase 2 flood alert for the White River, with possible minor flooding occurring below Mud Mountain Dam, after heavy rainfall brought rising water levels to streams and rivers across the county.

As of 2 p.m., flows on the White River below Mud Mountain Dam east of Enumclaw were recorded at 5,020 cubic feet per second (CFS), slightly higher than the Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 5,000 CFS. At these flows, some minor overbank flooding could be expected near the A-Street Bridge in Auburn, and near Government Canal and Butte Avenue in Pacific. High river flows could also be expected along the temporary flood protection barriers in Pacific.

The White River joins the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers at Phase 2 flood alert levels, with minor flooding possible in low-lying areas along those rivers as well. Issaquah Creek reached a Phase 2 flood alert level early in the evening of Jan. 6, and flows have since receded along the creek.

King County flood patrol crews are continuing their field operations of checking conditions and reporting their findings to colleagues at the King County Flood Warning Center, which has been open since 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6 to coordinate the county’s response to this ongoing flood event.

During river flooding, 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.

Find real-time river level information at kingcounty.gov/flood.

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.

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

RELEVANT LINKS
• Sign up for flood warnings and alerts
• King County Flood Control District

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Doug Williams, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, 206-477-4543

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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.