November 16, 2021 1:00 a.m.
Skagit County River Level Update
The Northwest River Forecast Center has revised its forecast as of 10:30 p.m. today.
The Skagit River in Concrete is holding at 37.24 feet. River forecast in Concrete is predicted to drop below Major Flood status (32.5 feet) around 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 16. The Skagit River in Mount Vernon is at 35.35 feet and is forecasted to crest at 37.61 feet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 16.
The flood wall in Mount Vernon has been installed. It is built to hold back water up to 38 feet.
Recommended evacuations. Residents of the following areas have been recommended to evacuate: Fir Island, Sterling, and West Mount Vernon areas.
Road closures.
Numerous state and county roads are closed due to water over the roadway. Washington State Patrol has announced closure of State Route 20 between Collins and District Line Road. The City of Mount Vernon closed Division Street bridge for emergency traffic only at 9 p.m. tonight, November 15. For updated road closures please visit www.skagitcounty.net/reporting/roadclose.
School closures.
Several school districts have announced closures tomorrow. If you have school aged children, please check with your school district for schedule changes and closures.
Emergency shelters.
The Red Cross is operating shelters at Bethany Covenant Church (1318 S. 18th Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273) and Hamilton First Baptist Church (797 Hamilton Cemetery Rd, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284).
If you have questions or are not sure where to go, please contact Skagit County Department of Emergency Management at 360-416-1892.
The County Emergency Operation Center is continuing to hear reports of individuals driving through water over the roadway. Keep in mind that wind may have blown down road closure signs--proceed with caution. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER OVER THE ROADWAY. It is extremely dangerous and puts yourself and our first responders at risk. #TurnAroundDontDrown.
The Puget Sound Energy Power Outage Map shows many in the community without power. Falling trees will continue to be a concern as the ground is so saturated. Motorists should be aware and residents should be prepared for outages over the next 24-48 hours.
For updated river forecasts please visit www.skagitcounty.net/flood or call the River Level Hotline at 360-416-1404.
For more emergency information, sign up for the emergency information listserv, CodeRed Alerts or follow Skagit County on Twitter @SkagitGov. The River Level Hotline (360- 416-1404) and www.skagitcounty.net/flood are updated frequently during events with current conditions and can be resources for information as well.
Thank you for staying safe out there!
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