Nearly 10,000 Burlington residents were told to evacuate their homes early Friday as a slough from the Skagit River started flooding homes. Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate their homes Wednesday and Thursday, including all of those in the Skagit Valley’s 100-year flood plain. Residents in some areas of Pierce, Whatcom, Snohomish and Lewis counties were also told to leave, and people hunkered down in shelters and hotels.
The risk is not over. The Skagit River near Mount Vernon crested at a record-breaking 37.7 feet around 12:15 a.m. Friday, presenting the devastated valley with further danger. Snohomish River at Snohomish was still above record high level of flooding as of 5 a.m. Friday.
This page will be updated throughout Friday for the latest information on evacuations, recovery efforts, closures, damages, forecasts, river levels and more.
Where Skagit County residents can shelter
According to a news release from Skagit County officials, displaced residents can seek shelter in the following places.
—Alex Halverson
Orting evacuation notice lifted
The evacuation notice for 116th Street East between 151st Avenue Court East and Dan & Bill’s RV Park in the city of Orting has been lifted as of 8 a.m. Friday.
12/12 8:00 AM Update: The evacuation notice for 116th St E between 151st Ave Ct E and Dan & Bill’s RV Park has been lifted.
— Central Pierce Fire & Rescue (@CentralPierce) December 12, 2025
‘Pretty scared.’ Yakima River surges past banks threatening RVs, livestock
Hamilton Sivula and Eric Bruchman filled sandbags Thursday morning in West Richland in the face of rising floodwaters on the Yakima River.
“I saw the water line this morning, and I got pretty scared,” Sivula said as he leaned on the shovel for a moment while other family members cinched up the bags at the Hamilton Road fire station.
They filled 110 bags Wednesday at a West Richland fire station and planned to fill 110 more to build a 65-foot-long wall, about four bags high.
Residents along the lower Yakima River between Benton City and Richland watched the rising water with trepidation.
—Tri-City Herald
King County library locations closed due to flood warning
—Qina Liu
Seattle City Light company town cut off by flooding; Army Corps takes over dam
As the Skagit River blows past record heights, the town of Newhalem, owned and operated by Seattle City Light, is currently cut off in both directions due to flooding on Highway 20.
The road closure, one piece of the fallout from a punishing atmospheric river that’s overwhelmed scores of rivers in Western Washington, comes as the Army Corps of Engineers has taken over operations at nearby Ross Dam, which provides electricity to Seattle residents.
Newhalem is a company town adjacent to three Seattle-owned dams on the nearby Skagit River: the Ross, Diablo and Gorge lake dams. All three generate power for Seattle.
—David Kroman
Evacuation orders lifted in Sumner
Evacuation orders for the Rainier Manor Mobile Home Park, Rivergrove and the 29th Street neighborhoods in Sumner have been lifted, the city wrote on X Friday morning.
Good morning, Sumner! A recap from through the night so you don’t have to doom scroll:
– No more active evacuation levels in Sumner. They were lifted last night for Rainier Manor, Rivergrove neighborhood & the 29th St neighborhood.
– Houston Rd, State St, and Stewart Rd Bridge… pic.twitter.com/qrtgCqMpI3
— Sumner, Washington (@CityOfSumnerWA) December 12, 2025
—Qina Liu
Leavenworth’s Christmastown events canceled this weekend
Leavenworth’s Village of Lights Christmastown display in Front Street Park and Christmastown events at the Gazebo will not be illuminated this weekend due to a power outage and recovery efforts, the city wrote in a news release.
Power outages were reported for much of Chelan County, including all of Leavenworth. The city also said it has “extensive damage” throughout its residential neighborhoods, including downed trees and power lines. Multiple road closures also remain, the city said.
“Remember, if you can’t make it in December, we leave the festive light display on all the way through February!,” the city said in the release.
—Paul Roberts and Qina Liu
Evacuations lifted in Puyallup
—Qina Liu
Snoqualmie Falls roars as tribe urges visitors to stay away
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is cautioning the public against visiting Snoqualmie Falls, which is roaring as the Snoqualmie River floods.
The river experienced major flooding — the highest level — through much of Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
—Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton
How to help those affected by WA floods
As up to 100,000 residents face evacuations across Western Washington, aid groups said the best way to help those affected by flooding is through monetary donations.
Groups like the American Red Cross have volunteers, both from within Washington and out-of-state, opening emergency shelters and looking for more shelter sites. The organization said donations can help sustain ongoing efforts and fund more recovery services.
Local aid groups helping those affected by flooding need money and volunteers, but many said they may not know exactly what help they’ll need on the ground until after the flooding subsides.
—Jayati Ramakrishnan
Burlington residents told to evacuate
Skagit County officials were urging nearly 10,000 Burlington residents to evacuate their homes early Friday as a slough from the Skagit River started flooding homes.
—Alex Halverson
Parts of highways 2, 9, 202, 203, 410 closed Friday morning
Many highways and local roads remained shut Friday morning throughout Western Washington because of flooding and mudslides. Read more.
Click on the following links to see maps of the latest road closures:
—Paige Cornwell
School closures and delays Friday
—Claire Withycombe
Tips to keep you safe when you return to clean your property
In the coming days, thousands of residents will begin to return to water-damaged homes after about 100,000 Washingtonians were ordered to evacuate from the Skagit Valley and other areas flooded from cresting rivers.
All residents living within the 100-year floodplain of the Skagit Valley were ordered to leave, as the Snohomish and Skagit rivers reached historic levels. Dozens of people have been rescued from rising floodwaters, and the National Weather Service expects risk to life and property to be “catastrophic.”
As Washingtonians return to their businesses, homes, and fields, there are several safety precautions to take in responding to damage, cleaning your home and filing claims.
—Lauren Girgis
Shelter options for WA residents evacuated during floods
—Lauren Girgis
Snohomish County residents watch ‘surreal’ flooding as river rises
As they reached shallows low enough to disembark, Sue and Bill Elliott stepped out of a yellow canoe with relief. They’d managed to save their three dogs. But they carried no possessions as they reached dry land.
Elliott Road, which runs near their trailer home in Snohomish County, disappeared under murky waters behind them.
“It hasn’t been like this since 1990,” said Sue Elliott, whose trailer flooded when the Snohomish River swelled to unprecedented heights as an atmospheric river drenched Western Washington this week. She shook the hand of Ryan Lundquist, Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue’s operations chief, one of several agency personnel who rescued 26 people, including the Elliotts, Thursday morning.
—Catalina Gaitán, Hannah Furfaro and Greg Kim
Authorities keep eye on levees as Skagit River nears crest
Cresting floodwaters of the Skagit River were moving steadily downstream toward the largest cities in the county as local, state and federal officials warned of potentially grave and catastrophic danger.
Some 78,000 people live within the Skagit’s flood plain, and all were told to get out before it’s too late.
In Mount Vernon, police and fire crews went from door to door Thursday, warning of the deluge that’s headed their way. Flood walls and levees will be put to the test like never before, and Gov. Bob Ferguson said he’s trying to persuade the federal government to listen to its own forecasters.
—Conrad Swanson and David Gutman
Catch up with what happened Thursday
Tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes as rivers throughout the Puget Sound region rose to historic levels Thursday, and scores more Washingtonians needed rescue or entire communities were cut off.
The National Weather Service warned of catastrophic, life-threatening flooding continuing Friday, but residents will get a bit of a reprieve from heavy rain. Rainfall totals are forecast for far less than earlier this week — the Seattle area saw 1 to 4 inches of rain, and some spots in the Puget Sound region had more than a foot over the past three days — but that won’t alleviate the flooding.
“The rain is going to be lessened, but everything is going to be flowing downstream from what’s fallen over the past couple of days,” weather service meteorologist Johnny Burg said.
—Seattle Times staff