Historic Flooding Forces Mass Evacuations as Washington Communities Brace for Levee Failures

The town of Burlington, home to about 9,200 residents near Puget Sound, was ordered to evacuate early Friday after the Skagit River surged to an all-time high. Downstream in Mount Vernon, the river crested at nearly 38 feet, far exceeding major flood stage and marking the highest level ever recorded in the area. State officials described the flooding as unlike anything previously experienced there.

“We haven’t seen flooding like this ever,” said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for Washington’s emergency management division. Despite the scale of the disaster, officials reported no confirmed casualties or missing persons as evacuation efforts continued.

Skagit County, north of Seattle, emerged as the epicenter of the flooding, which followed days of intense rainfall stretching from northern Oregon through western Washington and into parts of British Columbia. Meteorologists attributed the deluge to a series of atmospheric river storms—powerful streams of moisture drawn from the Pacific Ocean—that swept inland and stalled over the region. According to the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, rainfall totals ranged from 6 to 20 inches across much of the Pacific Northwest over the past week.

“That’s easily a month’s worth of rain that’s fallen in just a week,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist at the center.

Even before Burlington’s full evacuation order, the Skagit River floodplain—home to approximately 78,000 people—had been placed under a Level 3 evacuation notice, urging residents to immediately move to higher ground. Statewide, evacuation warnings affected an estimated 100,000 people as rising waters inundated roads, farmland, and residential neighborhoods.

National Guard troops, sheriff’s deputies, and local emergency responders went door to door to ensure residents left safely. In some areas, rescuers navigated flooded streets in inflatable rafts, paddling stranded residents through muddy waters to reach dry ground. The coordinated response underscored the urgency of the situation as river levels tested infrastructure across the region.

Flood control levees along the Skagit River appeared to be holding immediately after the historic crest, according to state officials. The embankments were undergoing their first major test since repairs were completed following a significant flood in 2021, raising cautious optimism but leaving authorities on high alert for potential breaches.

As floodwaters begin to stabilize, officials warn that recovery will take time and that additional rain could renew the threat. The crisis has highlighted the growing vulnerability of Pacific Northwest communities to extreme weather events, reinforcing the importance of emergency preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and coordinated response as climate-driven storms become more intense and frequent.