Washington counties issue evacuation orders as rivers swell with 'catastrophic' flooding risk

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: In Skagit County, north of Seattle, officials called for an immediate evacuation due to flooding on Thursday, December 11.

Residents within the 100-year floodplain in Skagit County, along with approximately 100,000 people in Washington state, were urged to evacuate and get to higher ground. 

Pierce County Sheriff calls the floods ‘the worst’ he has ever seen 

In an X post, Sheriff Keith Swank urged residents to evacuate, asking them not to risk their lives.

He added that the flooding was the “worst I have ever seen” in Pierce County. He further asked the residents to go somewhere safe and added that they would figure the rest out later.

Senator Maria Cantwell also took to social media to warn the residents. She wrote that she had spoken to the National Weather Service and was “alarmed” to hear how high the Skagit River’s water levels would rise. “4-5 feet above the record crest level,” she wrote on X.

The senator also advised people to stay alert and “follow evacuation orders,” warning that it was “not just another flood.”

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared an emergency due to the floods on Wednesday. He wrote that the statewide emergency declaration would allow it to seek federal funds to cover the cost of the response, which the governor anticipated to be “significant.”

He also requested an “expedited emergency declaration from the federal government,” noting that by Thursday, there would be 300 National Guard members to respond to the flooding. 

Heavy rainfall events reportedly caused by climate change

As reported by CNN Weather, climate change was one of the major factors for “frequent” and “heavier precipitation” in the Pacific Northwest and much of America.

The publication further wrote that much of the rainfall in Washington this week was a symptom of “warming climate” as warmer air carried more water vapor.

As per Wednesday night’s forecast for the Skagit River, water levels crested above 42 feet on Friday; however, the latest forecast showed it to be under 40 feet.

Meanwhile Snohomish River was at nearly 30 feet as per Wednesday’s forecast and has come down to 25. 

Risk increased from moderate to major severity

In a warning issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday, December 11, 2025, the forecast flooding situation has changed from “moderate to major severity” and has “increased in duration” for South Prairie Creek in Pierce County.

Some of the precautions noted in the warning were directed at motorists, urging them not to drive around barricades or to drive cars through flooded areas.

“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles,” it read.