Flood watches in effect for north coast, North Sound

WESTERN WASHINGTON — There will be more mild and wet conditions for Wednesday. The heaviest rain is at the coast and to the north, especially north of Everett. Rain will be much lighter around Seattle, thanks to the rain shadow from the Olympics.

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Highs Wednesday will be mild in the mid-50s and it will be breezy, especially in the central sound and north sound.

FLOODING

Flood Watches in effect at the north coast and from Snohomish County north, where we could see another 1-2″ of rain in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

Around 2-4″ of rain is possible in the mountains, especially the Olympics and north Cascades.  

Right now, we’ll keep an eye on the Nooksack, Skagit, Bogachiel and Skokomish rivers.

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Communities are now are getting a closer look at the damage left behind.

Chopper 7 flew above Sumas on Monday, where homes and businesses in the downtown area are surrounded by floodwaters. The city sounded its flood siren on Sunday and Monday.

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Sumas Mayor Kyle Christensen said at least 25 properties have been affected by the latest round of flooding. Several of those homes flooded for the second time in weeks.

“There’s a lot of anxiety and frustration with, ‘Hey, we haven’t even rebuilt from the first one and then we got hit with this other one,’” Christensen said.

In Mount Vernon, the temporary flood walls did their job, saving the city’s downtown from floodwaters. City officials said the flood walls will stay up for a few more days since more rain is expected.

Because the ground is so saturated, Skagit County Public Works has identified several locations — including areas along South Skagit Highway and Concrete Sauk Valley Road — that have an increased risk for landslides.

People are being urged to avoid going through those areas for the next few days.

LOOKING AHEAD

The front will drag through the area early on Thursday but will be very light. The afternoon looks mainly dry but cooler in the mid-40s.

Friday looks mainly dry and cool, especially in the morning. There may be a little rain over the southern part of the area on Saturday, with increasing clouds and dry weather on Sunday.

Another round of rain will move through on Monday, but snow levels will be much lower.