All of Snohomish County’s major rivers are expected to flood today and Wednesday, with the Snohomish River possibly approaching record levels.
If it happens, thank the Pineapple Express.
The warm weather pattern from north of Hawaii is expected to bring 6 to 9 inches of rain in the lower reaches of the Cascades through Wednesday morning, said Dana Felton, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
Lowland cities are expected to get nearly that much rain.
Residents in low-lying areas need to prepare now, said Mike McCallister, coordinator for the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management.
“People should be ready to evacuate,” McCallister said. “It’s not time to panic, but they need to be prepared.”
McCallister said most people who live along the county’s rivers are farmers or other hardy souls who have been through numerous floods and are prepared. He said there are some new subdivisions built since the last major flood that have residents who might not be prepared.
“Have a suitcase ready with fresh clothing in it,” he said. “Be ready to turn all the power off and move your electrical devices to a second floor. Make sure there is gasoline in your vehicle.”
The warm weather has raised the snow level to 9,000 feet, ensuring that most of the storm’s precipitation will wash into the rivers and contribute to flooding.
“There’s definitely potential for this to be a major flood,” Felton said.
The weather service issued flood warnings for the Stillaguamish, Skykomish and Snoqualmie on Monday, Felton said. The flood watch issued on the Snohomish is likely to be upgraded to a warning this morning.
The Stilly is expected to flood first, hitting flood stage at 14 feet as early as 7 a.m. today.
It’s expected to top out at near 18 feet early Wednesday, flooding farms between Arlington and Stanwood but stopping shy of urban areas. Still, if it runs that high, it could be high enough to spill over onto Highway 530.
The Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers are expected to reach flood stage this morning, then will keep climbing until they reach their projected peaks Wednesday morning.
If the forecast holds true for the two rivers that join to form the Snohomish River near Monroe, then the Snohomish is expected to climb as high as 33 feet by Wednesday evening. The record high for the Snohomish River is 33.5 feet in 1990.
“(At 33 feet) the Snohomish River will cause severe, near-record flooding. Floodwaters will likely overtop levees with major levee damage and failures possible,” said the weather service’s Web site on the Snohomish River. “Flood waters will inundate much of the river valley.”
A flood warning also was issued for all small rivers and streams in Snohomish County. That warning was expected to expire at 5 a.m. today.
Emergency managers are particularly worried about residents who could become isolated by flooding.
McCallister said it’s crucial that anyone approaching a flooded road not attempt to cross, saying that’s by far the most-common way to die in a flood.
Farmers and residents in and near river valleys hope flooding predictions are exaggerated. Earlier this winter, flooding was not as bad as predicted.
“Our dikes are in pretty good shape, but 33 feet is a good test,” said Barney Bagwell, a commissioner for the dike district that protects Ebey Island in the Snohomish River just east of Everett. “I hope they’re exaggerating it real bad.”
His district and many others in the Snohomish Valley have done a lot of work on dikes in recent years, and it’s not certain how the river will react under extremely high water.
If there is a dike breach, Bagwell complained that money to repair washouts is scarce.
“Everybody is as prepared as we can be,” Bagwell said. “It’s just a wait-and-see thing.”
Herald writer Jim Haley contributed to this report.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.
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