EVERETT — The third flooding event of the season has brought more road closures and minor flooding to Snohomish County.
Heavy rains in the Cascades on Monday caused sections of the Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Skykomish rivers to reach minor flood levels Tuesday, bringing standing water to some roads in Arlington and Stanwood.
The Snohomish River at Snohomish reached the minor flooding stage Tuesday afternoon and was expected to get close to moderate flooding late Tuesday.
In Arlington, the Stillaguamish’s main stem and north fork both hit minor flood levels early Tuesday.
The Skykomish River by Gold Bar also reached the minor flooding stage Tuesday morning.
All river levels were forecast to drop Wednesday.
Going forward, there’s potential for a rain-snow mix Thursday and Friday mornings, but temperatures aren’t cold enough for significant snowfall, National Weather Service meteorologist Jacob DeFlitch said.
Heavy rain and a downed power line in Arlington caused road closures at 236th Street NE from Old Highway 99 to 4th Avenue NW, the intersection of Tveit Road and 101st Avenue NE and the 600 block of Pioneer Highway.
In Stanwood, Norman Road from Marine Drive to Miller Road was also closed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office hadn’t responded to any calls for cars stuck in standing water, spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.
The penalty for crossing through water-covered roadways is the same as driving through a closed-road, a $500 misdemeanor fine.
“I would hope that people would want to stay out of the flood waters for life safety reasons and not just the fine,” Ireton said.
Six inches of fast moving water can knock over an adult, a foot can move a car and 18 to 24 inches is enough to do the same for most SUVs, vans and trucks, said county Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Scott North.
“A lot of this is stuff you can prepare for and avoid,” he said.
Earlier this week, heavy snowfall and downed trees prompted U.S. 2 to close in both directions east of Stevens Pass.
In December, rainfall closed several roads across the county, including in Everett, Edmonds and Lynnwood.
Before that, flooding in October closed the eastbound right lane on the U.S. 2 trestle for days as crews worked to clear debris from underneath the structure.
For more information on preparing for flood events, visit the county’s online flood information center.
Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.
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