When It Comes to Flooding, What Will Keep You Safe?
Learn where to get the information you need when you need it.
In Washington state, winter and spring often bring heavy rainfall followed by flooding. In fact, this month has brought about a Pineapple Express, where built up moisture in the atmosphere has released a series of storms overflowing riverbanks. These storms, combined with snowmelt, are causing floods throughout the Evergreen State.
We want all Washingtonians to be as safe as possible from flooding. Did you know that you can find flooding information online for every river in our state? This includes warnings about how high the water level might rise and other vital data.
Here’s a spotlight on a new tool for people in southwest Washington, and other useful resources for people in flood-prone areas throughout the state.
One river system’s data
The Chehalis River has experienced devastating flooding in the past 15 years. The Chehalis River Basin spreads across Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason and Thurston counties, which have a total population of more than 500,000 people.
During flooding this winter, the Chehalis River Basin Flood Warning System saw record website use, as people across the southwestern part of our state sought information about how high and dangerous the water would get.
According to an article in The Chronicle newspaper, the new warning system saw record use in January.
“The flood warning system is intended to be a first line of defense,” said Scott Boettcher of the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority in the article. “It’s an opportunity for people to easily and readily access flood information so that they have as much warning as possible. The intent was to bring the [flood] information that’s already out there into a single place to make it easier to access for folks.”
The information on the Chehalis River Flood Authority’s websites is from a variety of sources, including:
- The National Weather Service’s weather, precipitation, and Chehalis River forecast information.
- The U.S. Geological Survey’s information on landslides and daily streamflow conditions.
- Washington State Department of Transportation’s road conditions.
- Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes’ atmospheric river information.
Flood information
All rivers in Washington have similar data online. Sometimes people don’t know how to get that important information. Here’s how to find it.
- Each county in Washington provides emergency information on many topics, including flooding. You can find it from your county.
- The Northwest River Forecast Center website, published by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, provides river flooding forecasts and historical data for rivers across the northwestern U.S. and into Canada.
- The National Weather Service also has Washington river water gauge information online. You can adjust the length of the forecast on this site to see which rivers may flood in the next week or more.
Before, during, and after a flood
In November, we wrote about how climate change is making floods more frequent and dangerous. That blog post provides many tips on how to protect your family and your property during a flood.
You can find much more information on our flooding web pages, including:
- Cleaning your home after a flood.
- Making sure you have safe drinking water.
- What to do about mold.
- What to do when livestock or other animals have died in a flood.
Floods can happen year-round in Washington. We hope these tips help keep you as safe and prepared as possible.
More Information
Information in this blog changes rapidly. Sign up to be notified whenever we post new articles. For more information from the Washington State Department of Health, visit doh.wa.gov.
Questions about COVID-19? Visit our COVID-19 website to learn more about vaccines and booster doses, testing, WA Notify, and more. You can also contact the Department of Health call center at 1–800–525–0127 and press # from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday — Sunday and observed state holidays. Language assistance is available.
