Surging floodwaters turned farmland into vast pools, washed out bridges and prompted rescues of people stranded in cars and homes across Washington state on Thursday, as tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders and authorities hoped levees would hold and prevent far worse damage.
“The flooding levels we’re looking at are potentially historic in nature, so we just want to emphasize how serious the situation is,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said at a news briefing Thursday, one day after declaring a statewide emergency. “This situation is extremely unpredictable.”
Skagit County, in a major agricultural region north of Seattle, has ordered everyone within the Skagit River’s floodplain to evacuate. Some 78,000 people live in the floodplain, according to the county’s emergency management chief Julie de Losada.
The high water mark upstream at the town of Concrete was below estimates but authorities warned people that record levels elsewhere were still possible.
Along the river in Mount Vernon, teams knocked on doors in low-lying areas Thursday to inform them of evacuation notices, city authorities said. Further north near the U.S.-Canada border, firefighters rescued several people from their homes in Sumas, the mayor said.
Over 10,000 customers in Washington were without electricity late Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. A mountainous section of U.S. 2 was closed due to rocks, trees and mud, with no detour or estimated time for reopening, according to the state transportation department.
Heavy rain and flooding washed out at least three bridges in the mountains of northwestern Montana, where an emergency shelter opened in a church in the small town of Libby.
The Skagit River hit about a foot (30 centimeters) shy of the previous record in the mountain town of Concrete Thursday morning, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
Water stopped just short of getting inside Mariah Brosa's raised riverfront home in Concrete, but the raging water still slapped debris against the home and totaled her fiancé's work car, she said.
“I didn’t think it would come this high,” she said.
While updated projections are lower than previous estimates, the river was still expected to crest above the record in Mount Vernon on Friday.
Flooding from the river has long plagued Mount Vernon, the largest city in the county with some 35,000 residents. Flooding in 2003 displaced hundreds of people.
A floodwall that protects downtown passed a major test in 2021, when the river crested near record levels. Water was at the foot of the floodwall as of late Thursday morning, Donovan said.
In nearby Burlington, officials hoped dikes and other systems would protect the community from catastrophic flooding, said Michael Lumpkin, with the police department.
Some are worried that older levees could fail.
Business owners and residents stacked sandbags to protect buildings.
South of Mount Vernon, Fir Island wildlife reserve and farming area will be closed Thursday, authorities said.
Authorities across Washington state in recent days have rescued people from cars and homes after an atmospheric river soaked the region.
Crews in Snohomish had rescued 33 people and several pets since Wednesday night, including 11 residents from a home in the Tualco Valley as the nearby Skykomish river was rapidly rising, according to the Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue. And in a football field in Snoqualmie, a herd of elk swam and waded through neck-high water.
East of Seattle, residents along Issaquah Creek used water pumps as rushing floodwaters filled yards Thursday morning. Yellow tape blocked off a hazardous area along the creek.
Issaquah resident Katy Bliss said her home’s foundation was safe for now but that a pond had formed in her backyard. “It’s still scary walking around,” she said.
The border crossing was also closed to southbound commercial vehicles to leave more room for evacuations, according to the Abbotsford Police Department.
Amtrak suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver.
A landslide blocked part of Interstate 90 east of Seattle, with photos showing vehicles trapped by tree trunks, branches, mud and standing water.
Climate change has been linked to some intense rainfall. Scientists say that without specific study they cannot directly link a single weather event to climate change, but in general it’s responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods and wildfires.
Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday.
“The pattern looks pretty unsettled going up to the holidays," said Harrison Rademacher, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.