With floodwaters receding and a thankfully dry Saturday upon us, Washington residents beset by historic flooding this week now start facing the wreckage while a second atmospheric river waits in the wings.
Skagit, Snohomish rivers and others hit record levels this week as an atmospheric river caused devastation, flooding properties and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. President Donald Trump on Friday granted Washington’s request for an emergency declaration in response to the flooding.
The flood has also put ski season and Leavenworth’s fabled holiday light display and Christmastown festival on hiatus, further threatening residents’ wallets during a usually profitable season.
The risk isn’t over: Much of Western Washington is now considered at high risk for landslides after days of near-constant rainfall. A weaker atmospheric river is expected to move into the area on Sunday.
This page will be updated with the latest information on evacuations, recovery efforts, closures, damages, forecasts, river levels and more.
Washington National Guard has deployed 300 members in state
Washington National Guard members have filled more than 11,000 sand bags since Thursday, the agency posted on X Saturday morning.
More than 300 Washington National Guard members are supporting flood relief efforts in Skagit and Snohomish counties. They’ve assisted with helicopter rescues, evacuations and traffic control.
Saturday also happens to be the Washington National Guard’s 389th birthday.
Guard members have filled more than 11,000 sand bags, assisted with helicopter rescues, manning traffic control points, supporting swift water rescue teams with ensuring those pulled out of the water get to medical attention & went door to door to help with any evacuations. pic.twitter.com/rznUjbiPOS
— WA National Guard (@WANationalGuard) December 13, 2025
—Taylor Blatchford
Portion of rural Oregon highway disappears under massive slide
A mountain of earth has buried a stretch of OR 229 in rural Lincoln County, transportation officials said Friday.
The state highway, which follows the bends of the Siletz River, is closed between milepost 14 and milepost 15 for an indefinite — and likely long lasting — closure.
“It is not known whether the closure will last days, weeks, months or longer,” Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Mindy McCartt said. “This will be a long-term closure.”
—Zane Sparling, oregonlive.com
Flood evacuees take shelter at Skagit Speedway
ALGER — Skagit Speedway opened Wednesday as a temporary shelter for RV owners who have left their homes because of flooding.
Speedway maintenance technician Jeff Jackson said he expected about 50 RVs to make use of the site. About 10 had showed up as of Thursday.
Skagit Speedway has 236 designated campsites available for the public to use.
The speedway offers water, portable toilets, WiFi and on-site garbage. Those who stay can dump their waste at the Shell station on Cook Road.
For those taking shelter at the speedway with animals, the animals can use the track as a space to run.
—Ava Ronning, Skagit Valley Herald
Another atmospheric river is on the way to Western Wa.
Another atmospheric river will arrive on Sunday, but it won’t be as catastrophic, according to the National Weather Service.
“I know that sounds very scary, but luckily, it’s definitely not going to have as much moisture in terms of what we saw this week,” Seattle NWS meteorologist Anna Lindeman said. “It’s going to be much weaker coming in, but it will probably cause a lot of area rivers to rise once again. We’re not necessarily seeing any signals that it’ll be nearly as bad as what we saw this week.”
—Caitlyn Freeman
Which roads are closed Saturday morning
In addition to a large stretch of Highway 2, the following highways are closed Saturday morning:
Highway 410 near Enumclaw is closed in both directions for 17 miles, from 284th Avenue SE to 583rd Avenue E.
Highway 9 in Snohomish is closed in both directions for 4 miles, from Bickford Avenue to Lowell-Larimer.
Highway 9 near Sedro-Woolley is closed in both directions for 1 mile, from Francis Road to S Skagit Highway.
Highway 20 near Sedro-Woolley is closed eastbound for 1 mile, from Lafayette Road to Collins Road.
Highway 203 near Duvall is closed in both directions for 3 miles, from NE Cherry Valley Road to Cherry Valley Road. Farther south, near Carnation, the highway is closed in both directions for 2 miles, from Carnation Farm Road to NE Stillwater Hill Road.
Highway 906 south of Snoqualmie Pass is closed in both directions from the Fire Station at Yellowstone Trail Road to Hyak Drive East.
To check on road closures in your area, visit the Washington State Department of Transportation’s real-time map.
—Taylor Blatchford
Large stretch of Highway 2 remains closed
A large stretch of Highway 2, a major thoroughfare for travelers going east and west across the state, remained closed Saturday morning because of storm damage from floods and mudslides.
The highway is closed from milepost 50 near Skykomish to milepost 99 at Leavenworth. There is no detour available and no estimated time for reopening, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
—Taylor Blatchford
Astoria Coast Guard helicopter rescues flood victims in WA
SUMAS, Wash. — On Wednesday Dec. 10, Coast Guard aircrews from Astoria and Port Angeles rescued four people from a flooded home in Sumas, Washington after first responders could not reach them by land.
According to a Coast Guard press release, the Coast Guard was called in to assist after U.S. Border Patrol and local firefighters were unable to rescue the four occupants of the house. The survivors were forced into the attic by the rising flood waters which were up to 10 feet deep.
—Jeanne Huff, The Daily Astorian
What to do if your car is damaged by flooding
As historic flooding sweeps across Washington, images of cars sitting half-submerged in brown water have become one of the most striking visuals of the storm.
Whether a car can be saved depends on how high the water rose and what parts of the vehicle were affected.
Read here for what to know if your car is damaged by flooding.
—Dahlia Bazzaz
WA home swept away is ‘beyond’ horrifying
At about 2 a.m. on Thursday, Mike Khazak and Sarah Hansen’s home in Deming on the Nooksack River began to break apart.
First, a huge tree crashed down next to their house, right behind the couple’s bedroom window, waking up Hansen, she said. She and her boyfriend then got out of the house with their two dogs, Ollie and Rudy, to move their cars away from the property. That’s when they saw the water was hitting the side and front of their house.
“It was very fast,” said Hansen, 52.
They managed to retrieve a few items from the house. But at about 7 a.m., Hansen said, their home “just broke free and went in the river.”
A video taken by Hansen shows the house being carried away. The water kept coming after that. The water reached the land underneath the couple’s garage and their small barn, where their six pet goats lived.
After the couple saved the goats, Hansen still felt “beyond” horrified. “I was mostly just sitting in shock, and I did a lot of crying,” Hansen said. “Just feeling really sick. Just sick about it.”
Hansen and Khazak are staying in a hotel in Bellingham with their two dogs. The Whatcom Humane Society, where Hansen works as a veterinarian assistant, is watching their six goats. Emily Treadaway, a family friend, started a GoFundMe for the couple that had raised over $41,000 as of Friday evening.
—Ryan Nguyen
Western WA landslide risk high after heavy rainfall
Much of Western Washington is now considered at high risk for landslides after days of near-constant rainfall.
In the past 72 hours alone, more than 6 inches of rain fell in Marblemount, Skagit County, and Snoqualmie Falls. Over 8 inches fell in Auburn and Stampede Pass near Interstate 90. The Seattle area has seen over 4 inches accumulate in the last week.
The National Weather Service warns that, amid record flooding and as much as 12 inches of rainfall in some places, the deeply saturated earth is poised to create additional hazards.
—Rebecca Moss and Manuel Villa
Thousands in WA still displaced as rivers recede
Mario Rincon stood outside his home with his 2-year-old son, Daniel, in his arms. The boy, unaware of the grim situation, kept asking to swim in the floodwaters. Rincon would soon put on waders himself to see the damage inside his flooded home.
Western Washington rivers receded Friday from the catastrophic levels reached earlier this week while thousands, like Rincon and his family, remained displaced from their devastated towns, flooded under feet of water.
Rincon only slept two hours Thursday night, worrying that his Burlington home had flooded.
The worst had happened by the time he checked his cameras early Friday morning. Three feet of water inundated the bottom level of his home, pouring into his garage, office and a family room he’d almost finished building.
—Seattle Times staff
Your home has been flooded. What now?
If your home has been flooded, it’s important to act quickly but safely, experts say.
Rising floodwater from river flooding is dirty, and if you ingest it, it will make you sick, said Nathan Kelly, account executive on the business development team at PureDry Restoration in Snohomish.
“When it’s a flooding situation, we have no idea what it’s picked up along the way,” he said.
The floodwater could contain sewage or might have run through insulation. This means floodwater doesn’t just cause water damage, but can contaminate items in your house.
—Claire Withycombe