**NOAA: LOCALLY CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IMPACTS POSSIBLE ALONG SKAGIT & SNOHOMISH RIVERS**
As heavy rains return with the second punch of the atmospheric river, flooding forecasts remain dire for many rivers with more than a dozen gauges expected to reach major flood stage and a few rivers to reach all time record crests.
Among them remain the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers. The Skagit is still forecast to crest multiple feet over previous record flood stages at both Mount Vernon and Concrete. While the Snohomish is still expected to reach just over its record flood from 1990.
“Locally catastrophic flooding impacts are possible along Skagit and Snohomish Rivers,” NOAA’s National Water Center said Wednesday morning. “Major and/or record flooding is expected, bringing an increasing threat to life and property. Overtopping of levees is possible.”
Skagit County has now issued a Level 2 evacuation alert for “anyone living within the 100-year flood plain.” The Level 2 urges residents there to be ready to evacuate within 24 hours. (A Level 3 would mean evacuate immediately.)
Elsewhere “considerable flooding impacts are ongoing and expected to continue” into Friday, NOAA says.
Weather-wise, the local meteorologists at NWS Seattle say forecast models have increased rainfall totals today with an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain across the lowlands and another 4 to 8 inches over the Olympics and Cascades through Thursday morning. “Locally higher amounts are possible over higher terrain of the western Washington Cascades,” NWS Seattle said, ”leading to even higher river forecasts and potential for more widespread major flooding to occur.”
Rain rates in the Cascades this morning near Snoqualmie Pᴀss and Paradise reporting rates near or exceeding a half inch per hour, NWS Seattle said. “Paradise at Mt Rainier has picked up 3.25 inches of rain in just the past 10 hours” as of pre-dawn Wednesday morning.
Not everyone it getting soaked yet — the Olympic Rain Shadow is back again for parts of the lowlands Wednesday morning shielding a small area around the Seattle/Puget Sound core from the heaviest rains this morning but the shadow will fade through the day.
Wind Advisories also remain in effect until 10 p.m. Wednesday across much of Western Washington lowlands including the Seattle/Puget Sound area for gusts to 40-45 mph — similar to winds on Monday with the storm’s first round.
The heavy rains will taper off Thursday morning and we could get at least a relative lull in the rains with just lighter scattered showers Friday and Saturday. However, the long range forecast remains daunting with steadier rains Sunday and potential for additional heavy rain events next week, slowing the floodwater’s drop and perhaps renewing flooding threats.
