King Co. issues first flood watch of year, warns of possible road closures



DUVALL, Wash. - King County announced its first flood watch of the season Thursday stretching into Saturday morning.

County officials say the Snoqualmie River is already at Phase 2 (minor flooding), and the Tolt River is at Phase 1.

County officials listed 10 roads that could see closures due to possible flooding.

One of those roads is NE 124 St in Duvall.

“That’s my road,” said Anna Christensen.

Christensen says she lives near the Snoqualmie River. She says flooding is something her town always is ready to deal with, especially when it comes to commuting.

“You probably want to leave your house 30 minutes early if you want to get across those bridges,” she said.


    Christensen says even though many people leave early to avoid delays from road closures due to flooding, some still try to take the direct route.

    “People try to drive through it. Then they get stuck. Then you see the roofs of cars,” she said.

    County officials say this is exactly what they want to avoid.

    “I know in the last flood, we had people moving the barriers. That is very dangerous, and should not be done,” said Kathy Lambert.

    Lambert is a councilmember for King County. She is also the supervisor for the country’s flood district.

    A role, that she says is important to her, because many of the people she represents live in the areas affected by flooding each year.

    Lambert says since 1990 there have been 12 floods that have federally been declared emergencies.

    She says as well as making smart decisions while driving, people who live near flood zones should consider insurance if they don’t already have it.

    Lambert says she has seen times when flooding was so bad it reached people’s homes in the area.

    She says it’s better to act sooner than later, because the insurance could take about a month to go into effect.

    The county has a free app called “King County Flood Warning”. It provides real-time flooding info for the Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Tolt, Raging, Cedar, Green and White Rivers.

    As well as NE 124TH Street, the county warns these roads may also be closed due to flooding:

    SE Mill Pond (City of Snoqualmie)

    324th Ave SE.

    SE 24th St. (at Patterson ck bridge)

    Neal Rd. SE

    W Snoqualmie River Rd. (near SE 24th st)

    W Snoqualmie River Rd. (near Tolt hill rd)

    NE Tolt hill Rd

    NE 80th St.

    NE 100th St. and 284th Ave. NE

    NE 124th street