Widespread flooding triggers multiple road closures and water rescues in Snohomish County, Washington
Multiple atmospheric rivers brought widespread flooding to Snohomish County, Washington, this week, forcing water rescues and road closures as the Snohomish River approached its fourth-highest crest on record
The Snohomish County Fire District (SCFD) has been conducting water rescues since early this week due to multiple landfalling atmospheric rivers.
The SCFD Unit 4 closed the Old Snohomish–Monroe Road due to intense flooding. A drone video shared by the crew showed roads submerged in floodwaters. Crews were helping a driver who got stranded in the floodwaters on December 10.
The Snohomish River is expected to crest at 10.19 m (33.42 feet) by 12:30 PST on December 12, its fourth-highest level on record, surpassing the previous record of 10.11 m (33.16 feet) set in April 1975. The third place is held by August 2009 when the river reached 10.2 m (33.47 feet).
“The Snohomish River will cause severe, near-record flooding. Floodwaters will likely overtop levees…with major levee damage possible. Floodwaters will inundate much of the river valley…including SR 2 west of Monroe…SR 9 and the Lowell-Snohomish River Rd. Flooding will occur all along the river, including headwaters, tributaries, and other streams within and near the Snohomish River Basin. A stage of 10 m (33 feet) on the Snohomish River corresponds to Phase 4 in the Snohomish County flood program,” the National Weather Service said.
The flooding prompted evacuations along the Skagit River in Washington, with the river expected to reach its highest level since 2003.
A subseason outlook issued by CW3E on December 9 shows strong agreement on above-normal atmospheric river activity across the U.S. West Coast during the second half of December 2025. The most pronounced signals are centered over northern and central California, with continued wet conditions also likely across the Pacific Northwest.
Between December 15 and 28, models from NCEP, ECCC, and ECMWF consistently indicate an increased frequency of atmospheric rivers and wetter-than-average conditions from Washington to central California, while southern California is projected to trend drier.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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