Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, January 8, 2009

Waters rise, more flooding to come

Roads are closed around the county and landslide and avalanche risk is high

By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer

 While some rain-soaked, flood-weary Snohomish County communities hope the worst is over, others are bracing for a new dose of misery today.

The heavy rains swelling rivers across Western Washington caused widespread flooding, closing I-5 in Lewis County and creating traffic snarls, avalanches and landslides.

By Wednesday evening, 35 rivers in Western Washington were at or above flood stage.

"I think a better question is: Which rivers are not flooding?" said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The Stillaguamish River was expected to crest in Arlington at 21.57 feet at 10 a.m. today, topping a record of 21.1 feet. High water also was anticipated throughout the day downstream at Stanwood.

The Snohomish River is forecast to crest at 33.1 feet at 8 tonight at Snohomish. If that prediction holds, floodwaters could damage levees, inundate Highway 9 and make much of the Snohomish River Valley look like a large lake.

The Snohomish is expected to crest at 24 feet at 4 p.m. in Monroe.

"It's a very serious situation," said Ted Buehner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle. He called the flooding across Western Washington this week "one of the more significant flood events in the last 20 years."

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon declared a state of emergency Wednesday evening.

"Flood levels are approaching, if not surpassing, 2006 flood levels, warranting an emergency declaration," Reardon said.

Weather experts attributed the flooding to heavy rains at higher elevations, saying parts of the region received more than 4 inches of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday. The impact of melting lowland snow on flood levels was minimal, they said.

The Washington State Patrol has set up an emergency operation center at its regional headquarters in Marysville. On Wednesday afternoon, it was monitoring 50 different road closures caused by flooding in Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties.

Highway 530, which leads through Arlington to Darrington, was closed in multiple locations, State Patrol trooper Keith Leary said.

At one point, there also was about 2 feet of water under I-5 near Stanwood at 300th Street NW because of water backed up by beaver dams, he said.

Emergency crews reported 26 mudslides across the state by Wednesday evening and more are expected because the soil is so saturated.

"The bottom line is there is a significant threat of landslides," Buehner said.

Stacey Simmons, who lives near the South Fork Stillaguamish River in Granite Falls, woke to a mudslide that rolled a maple tree against her house Wednesday morning.

"I thought it was an earthquake," she said. "I heard a big boom and my house shook."

Simmons was counting her blessings.

"The river was coming up on one side and the hill was coming down on the other," she said.

Deep and swift flood waters inundated many roads across the county. Dozens of people living in low-lying areas in Stanwood and Arlington voluntarily evacuated their homes.

Stanwood schools are closed today because of potential risks posed by the Stillaguamish flooding.

The Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross opened emergency shelters in Arlington, Monroe and Stanwood on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

County emergency officials said motorists and residents of flood-prone areas exercised caution and showed common sense Wednesday with few calls for rescues.

Part of the reason might be the pace of the flooding, officials said.

"We have not had a whole lot of reports of water rescues," said Christopher Schwarzen, a county spokesman. "In November, rivers went up really fast and came down really fast. This has been a slower-paced event."

The Snohomish River likely will take a long time returning to its banks because anticipated high tides will act like a dam on the lower river.

Stevens Pass remained closed Wednesday.

There is good news, however.

Drier conditions are expected by Friday and are forecast to continue for a few days with only some light rain Saturday.

That doesn't mean the weather will stabilize any time soon.

Avalanches that have closed U.S. 2 at Stevens Pass and I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass are expected to continue into today, said Mark Moore, an avalanche expert with the weather service.

He said the unstable conditions are a result of heavy rains infiltrating "a fragile snowpack" in the mountains. Colder temperatures in the mountains should begin to reduce that threat today.

Rural areas weren't the only ones affected Wednesday.

The city of Everett closed the Rotary Boat Launch at 3505 Lowell-Snohomish River Road, and Lowell Riverfront Park at 1400 Lowell River Road, because of rising waters along the Snohomish River.

The Everett Animal Shelter facility also was closed after water over a road blocked access, but the animals were safe, on higher ground and being well cared for, city officials said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA