Rain, flooding, storms – all pretty standard for Western Washington, but sometimes weather patterns spare some areas that have flooded before.
That was the case at the beginning of December, when Western Washington got so much rain that it caused flooding from the Stillaguamish River to the town of Rosburg. Read More
After about five years in the works, the Pierce County Council adopted a new Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan that broadens the scope of what kinds of flooding the county will plan for – from coastal to urban flooding.
Angela Angove is the floodplain and watershed services manager with Pierce County Planning and Public Works. She said different types of Read More
In the foothills of Mt. Rainier runs the Carbon, the Puyallup and the White Rivers, meandering through towns and cities, along roadways and near homes, the paint strokes of the natural environment now surrounded by a human-built ecosystem. Once tightly restricted by levees, these rivers are beginning to again flow closer to how they would have, not adhering to the confines Read More
Washington Rep. Steve Tharinger of the 24th district became intimately acquainted with levee setbacks when he discovered the levee protecting his house on the lower Dungeness River was not only not protecting his house, but harming the ecosystem too.
“I sold my house and the five acres in a barn we had, so that we'd have more room to move that levee back and give the Read More
Jason Vander Kooy said the potential for flooding weighs on his mind every November.
Vander Kooy is a dairy farmer — one of many in northwestern Washington. Two years ago, some farmers there dealt with flooding that killed livestock, damaged fields, and overtopped manure lagoons — meaning the basins that store cow waste filled with water and, like a bathtub too full, Read More
Homeowners in Whatcom County have been waiting nearly two years for relief from flooding that devastated communities in northwest Washington and parts of Canada — and now, they have to wait even longer.
Federal funding was supposed to come this week for 12 homeowners whose houses were destroyed during the November 2021 flooding. However, it’s been delayed, again. Read More
Crews made progress over the weekend on the Eagle Bluff fire burning in Okanogan County. The fire was 80 percent contained on Monday and crews said there has not been new growth for 48 hours. Read More
Salmon advocates want negotiators to consider salmon and the Columbia River’s ecosystem as a part of an agreement between the U.S. and Canada.Read More
A first-of-its-kind climate resiliency website will help communities understand climate-related risks, the Biden administration said. The new website, launched Thursday, provides real-time information and predictions for local communities that are more vulnerable to disasters, such as wildfires, heat waves and droughts.Read More
Wildfires can leave land vulnerable to flooding and landslides. With the flooding recently, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife expedited the permitting process for projects to protect safety and health for homeowners.Read More
Warmer winter weather, more rainfall and less snow will contribute to significantly increased flooding in the Columbia River Basin this century due to climate change, new research says.Read More
The National Weather Service calls the event "extremely dangerous" and says it was caused by "catastrophic failures at the Edenville and Sanford dams," roughly 140 miles north of Detroit.Read More
Flood waters in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are starting to recede. But this relatively good news follows days of bad news and inundated towns – along with collapsed bridges, dozens of helicopter rescues and washed-out roads. It’s all caused by recent heavy rainfall and fast-melting snow.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has issued an emergency proclamation for 20 counties as major flooding inundated Washington and Oregon.Read More
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster in 13 counties. Some parts of southeast Texas could see rain totals of 30 to 40 inches through Friday, the National Weather Service says.Read More
Long-term flooding along major waterways stranded barges up and down the Mississippi River this summer and caused havoc with river transportation and the economy that depends on it.Read More
As sea levels rise, coastal flooding that used to happen only during storms is increasingly occurring on sunny days. That has local officials reconsidering everything from zoning to police budgets.Read More
The Arkansas River is rising well above its previous record, and it's forecast to stay that way for days. That's putting pressure on old levees and making it hard for some residents to evacuate.Read More
In some places, homes and businesses in what's known as the 100-year flood plain have been hit by multiple floods in a matter of weeks. When these sorts of floods happen back to back, many residents might start to wonder: Why are they even called 100-year floods?Read More
Residents of the Palouse region of southeastern Washington and north-central Idaho experienced flood conditions Tuesday. The localized flooding from heavy rain was expected to persist into Wednesday.Read More
A powerful weather system swept through the region, bringing blizzard conditions and leaving many communities with record-setting floods. At least two people have died.Read More
Outside of Leavenworth, Washington, crews have been working on a dam in trouble. Now, the irrigation district that owns the dam has installed a new 55-foot spillway of large rocks to reinforce the structure.Read More
A week ago, forecasters were predicting the Okanogan River might crest this weekend near a record flood mark set back in 1972. Now, emergency managers are moving into “defense mode” and are now predicting somewhat lower water levels.Read More
Conditions in Okanogan and Ferry counties have moved to a major flood state, where Governor Jay Inslee has declared an emergency. The Okanogan River is expected to continue rising through the weekend and through the following week to a level not reached since the historic flood of 1972. Read More
Emergency management officials are trying to protect drinking water systems throughout the Okanogan Valley from flood water contamination.Read More
The combination of a near-record snowpack in southern British Columbia and temperatures soaring into the upper 80s has caused flood watches starting at the U.S.-Canada border running south along the Okanogan River. Correspondent Emily Schwing is on the scene and sent back these photos.Read More
Throughout northcentral and northeastern Washington, residents are preparing for the worst. Some of the heaviest flooding is expected along the Okanogan River. In Tonasket, the community is pulling together to move families who live along the river to higher ground.Read More