Snoqualmie River joins Tolt at minor flood phase as King County Flood Warning Center monitoring conditions

February 22, 2021

Summary

Heavy rainfall pushed the Snoqualmie River up to a minor flood phase in the early afternoon of Monday, Feb. 22, according to the King County Flood Warning Center, which opened late Monday morning to monitor potentially flooding in low-lying areas along the Tolt River.

Story

Minor flooding in low-lying areas is possible along the Snoqualmie River on Monday, Feb. 22, according to the King County Flood Warning Center, which is also monitoring the Tolt River for potential minor flooding following several hours of heavy rainfall across the region.

As of 12:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, sum of the Snoqualmie River’s three forks was 12,180 cubic feet per second (CFS), just exceeding the river’s Phase 2 flood alert threshold of 12,000 CFS. At these flows, minor flooding could occur in low-lying areas along the river.

The Tolt River was flowing at 4,230 CFS at 12:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, with potential minor levee seepage occurring upstream of the City of Carnation. 

Flood Warning Center employees following COVID-19 safety precautions implemented at the beginning of the 2020-21 flood season in October are monitoring stream gauges and weather reports 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.

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The King County Flood Control District is a special purpose government created to provide funding and policy oversight for flood protection projects and programs in King County. The Flood Control District’s Board is composed of the members of the King County Council. The Water and Land Resources Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks develops and implements the approved flood protection projects and programs. Information is available at kingcountyfloodcontrol.org.