For the Reporter
The King County Flood Warning Center, which opened at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday to monitor high flows on several rivers, has issued a Phase 2 flood alert for the White River where minor flooding is possible in low-lying areas in the Auburn-Pacific area.
Planned releases from Mud Mountain Dam in the upper White River watershed have slowly brought flows higher on the river. As of 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, the White River at the dam was flowing at 5,000 cubic feet per second, which is the Phase 2 flood alert threshold for that river. At these flows, minor overbank flooding could occur upstream of the A Street Bridge in Auburn, and near Government Canal in the City of Pacific.
Rivers across King County have been flowing fast and high throughout the day – the result of heavy rainfall that swept across much of Western Washington this weekend.
The Tolt, Snoqualmie and Green rivers have all reached Phase 2 flood alert levels, with minor flooding occurring along those rivers.
The Flood Warning Center remained open into the morning of Monday so employees could monitor stream gauges and weather reports, and to provide updated information on river conditions as necessary. Real-time river level information is available online at kingcounty.gov/flood.
During river flooding events, King County serves as a clearinghouse for information on flood conditions, operating a recorded message center with continuous updates of river gauge readings and flood phases and other related information. Reach the Flood Warning Center at 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263. Interpreter assistance in multiple languages is available.
King County offers everyone free access to KC Flood Alerts, an automated system that allows subscribers to receive customized alerts of potential flooding for any or all of King County’s seven major river systems.
Immediate notifications about pending high water are sent to email, smart phone text or voicemail, providing subscribers with the maximum amount of warning about potential high water.
Find the KC Flood Alerts link at kingcounty.gov/flood. This website is a valuable preparedness resource, with all of the latest information about river levels and road conditions, plus weather reports and other critical links.
Questions or assistance with flooding on smaller streams or urban drainage problems can be called in to 206-477-4811 during business hours, or 206-477-8100 after hours or on weekends.
Problems on County maintained roads can be reported by calling 206-477-8100 or 1-800-KC-ROADS.
