King County Flood Warning Center expands flood alerts to Green, White rivers

The King County Flood Warning Center is expanding its Phase Two flood alerts to the Green and White rivers this morning.

Phase Two flood alerts – which are typically associated with minor flooding in low-lying areas and some road closures – were already issued for the Tolt and Snoqualmie rivers earlier today. King County is closely monitoring all four rivers and will provide updates as conditions change.

Two King County roads are currently closed due to minor river flooding in the Snoqualmie Valley. Roads at SE 24th Street between 309th Ave. SE and 316th Ave SE, and West Snoqualmie River Road (AKA Walker Road) between Tolt Hill Road and Southeast 24th Street are closed due to the river flooding.

In addition to these problems, the Roads Division says it has received several reports of local road flooding, mudslides and downed trees which could cause travel problems for motorists until the weather improves. Motorists are urged to use extra caution when traveling today and are reminded to never drive around barricades or through standing water. If you spot a problem on a road maintained by King County, report it by calling 206-296-6515 or 1-800 KC ROADS if you live outside the greater Seattle calling area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates flood control dams on both the Green and White rivers. They advise that the Green River will crest at roughly 9,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in Auburn late tonight or early Wednesday morning, and the White River will crest near 8,000 cfs in Buckley this afternoon. A Phase Two alert is issued for the Green when flows reach 7,000 cfs, and for the White when flows reach 6,000 cfs. Real-time river level information is available online by visiting: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/flood/flood.htm.

King County is advising residents living or traveling in flood-prone areas to continue to monitor weather conditions and be on the look out for road closures.

A Phase Two alert on any major King County river is the level of the county's four-phase warning system at which the Flood Warning Center is activated to monitor lowland flooding. The Flood Warning Center was activated at 6 a.m. today and will remain open and continue to monitor river flooding until conditions improve.

Residents in affected areas can get updated information on flooding on the King County Web site at www.metrokc.gov, or can visit RPIN, the area's regional Web site at www.govlink.org. A recorded flood-information hotline is also updated each hour for citizens wanting information in flood areas. The number is 206-296-8200 or 1-800-945-9263. Citizens who need help interpreting flood information should call 206-296-4535 or 1-800-768-7932.