MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — With flood watches forecasted for King and Snohomish counties and heavy winds and rain expected around the region, cities and counties across western Washington are preparing for an active weather weekend.
That includes Skagit County, which is expecting its first atmospheric river of the season, based on National Weather Service forecasts.
“[Emergency managers] are actively monitoring the situation, they're working with Public Works, Public Health, and all departments, in case they had to be activated in case of a flood,” Skagit County Communications Manager Danica Sessions said. “They're monitoring so if it looks like we are going to have some issue coming up, they make sure the communication channels are open, and people discuss what we need to do next.”
The county says so far, the Skagit and Samish rivers are expected to crest below flood stage at all forecast points, but it says urban flooding could occur in some areas. Wind is also a concern, with an advisory issued from Thursday night through Friday morning with high gusts possible that could cause power outage issues.
Skagit County has employed a number of measures to prevent urban flooding. The heavy rains of 2021 gave the City of Mount Vernon a good chance to see the power of its floodwall along the Skagit River.
"We're comforted in knowing the city has throughout the year taken the opportunity to train ourselves on how the floodwall gets deployed and we inspect the floodwall annually and we're prepared in the event the rain falls hard and river rises," City of Mount Vernon Special Projects Manager Peter Donovan said.
Donovan said the comfort of the floodwall has also reduced flood insurance costs for many business owners, and attracted new investment into downtown Mount Vernon. In addition to economic development, the reduced need for sandbagging near downtown allows residents to focus work elsewhere.
"The river runs all throughout Skagit County so a lot of the flood-fighting efforts are not just focused on downtown," Donovan said. "What that allows us to do with the floodwall here, is deploy those resources in other areas."
While rivers are not forecasted to crest above flood stage this weekend, the county says it's a good time to remind people about flooding preparation as the rainy season begins.
Emergency management resources can be found here.