Heavy rains are expected to cause rivers to rise today in Snohomish County, but forecasts Monday evening indicated they would stay within their banks.
“It should not detract from Election Day,” said Roger Serra, director of Snohomish County’s Department of Emergency Management. “The weather prediction does not show that it will be anything significant.”
Even so, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Snohomish, King and Mason counties, particularly to keep an eye on the Tolt River, which feeds the Snohomish River basin, and for Mason County’s Skokomish River.
Dustin Guy, a meteorologist with the weather service, said snow levels were expected to rise from 5,500 feet Monday to 7,000 feet by the evening. By this afternoon, colder air should bring more snow in the mountains, dropping the freezing level down to 4,000 feet.
Melting snow often contributes to flooding. Today’s activity is not expected to cause the kind of dramatic floods that can come with a rain-on-snow weather pattern in Western Washington.
“It’s a fairly mild system,” Guy said of the front moving through.
The weather service forecasts the crest of the Snohomish River to be at about 2:45 p.m., reaching 19.7 feet at Snohomish. Flood stage there is 25 feet.
The forecast for the Stillaguamish River at Arlington predicts the crest at 1:45 p.m. at 11.7 feet. Flood stage there is 14 feet.
Serra said he and his staff will be watching the Tolt River, which floods easily and is the area’s first indicator if conditions are deteriorating.
“We’re going to have enough warning time to let people know if we’re going to have any problems,” Serra said.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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