Possible weekend flooding has Whatcom County officials preparing for the worst, reigniting resident anxieties about Nooksack River overflow.
The U.S. National Weather Service put out two alerts for Whatcom County: a flood watch from 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Saturday, and a wind advisory from 5 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday.
Heavy rains began Thursday night, and will continue until early Saturday, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“We’re looking at a pretty significant period of heavier rain, especially for the Cascade Mountains out there, which is going to lead to rising river levels,” NWS’s Jacob DeFlitch said. “We’re looking at amounts generally ranging anywhere from 4 to 6 inches … across Whatcom County.”
DeFlitch said up to 8 inches could fall in the highest peaks of the Cascades.
“All that rain is going to be flowing into the rivers, which is going to lead the rivers to rise,” he said.
Despite the heavy rain, river rise at this point is expected to be minimal, with only minor flooding forecasted for the Nooksack’s South Fork.
John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management, said the county does not anticipate any issues from the incoming storm system, the second “atmospheric river” to hit the region this year.
Even so, he said, emergency responders and county officials are taking all the necessary precautions in the event floodwaters rise, preparing sandbags and planning evacuation routes.
“All of those preparations are being made and reviewed,” Gargett told Cascadia Daily News Thursday. “We’re confirming that everybody’s got the right phone numbers, that we’re prepared to take action if things change, and to just ensure that we’re as ready as we can be.”
County officials revamped emergency response systems following last November’s catastrophic flooding, updating emergency alert systems and planning.
“We have been working extensively since last year to revise, improve all of our systems so that we have a better state of preparedness,” Gargett said.
Small city mayors across Whatcom are wary of potential flooding, given the severity of the floods in 2021.
“It’s a little too premature to know what the river’s going to do,” Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch said. “We’re taking actions necessary to alert folks and make sure people know that there is a threat.”
When Whatcom’s rainy season began in October, Bosch said, it triggered residents still attempting to recover from last year.
More than 85% of homes in Sumas were damaged by last year’s floods, and today, many residents are still working on repairs, unable to return to their homes.
“There was a lot of anxiety when the rain started up,” Bosch said. “There’s feelings and expressions of dread and anxiety. People went through a terrible thing.”
City employees are doing “everything [they] can to prepare,” Bosch said.
Washington state, too, is preparing for potential weather impacts. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced the North Cascades Highway, SR 20, will close at 6 p.m. Thursday over possible avalanche concerns. WSDOT plans to reopen the road next week, depending on safety conditions.
“The road will be closed Thursday evening between the Ross Dam Trailhead on the west side (milepost 134) and Silver Star gate on the east side (milepost 171),” according to a WSDOT release.
Snowfall is a possibility in the Cascades, and may trickle down into western Whatcom County Sunday, according to NWS forecasts. Additionally, NWS has issued advisories for high winds in the region, with gusts up to 60 miles per hour.
Currently, the region is entering a third cycle of La Niña, bringing cooler, wetter weather to the Pacific Northwest.
“This will be the third year of La Niña in a row,” DeFlitch said. “It’s fairly rare [to have it three years in a row]. I believe this is only the second or third time in the last 40 to 50 years that’s occurred, so it’s on the rare side.”
This story was updated to include U.S. National Weather Service alerts for Whatcom County at 6:09 p.m. Nov. 3.
