BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Flooding and landsides prompted the complete closure of the West Coast’s main north-south highway overnight Monday near Bellingham, Washington, as the culmination of days of storms and high winds wreaked havoc in the Pacific Northwest.
The extreme weather was caused by an atmospheric river — a huge plume of moisture extending over the Pacific and into Washington and Oregon. More than 158,0000 customers were without power in Western Washington at one point Monday afternoon. Interstate 5 was closed near Bellingham, just south of the Canadian border, because of the ongoing threat from debris and floodwaters.
Schools were also closed Monday. Evacuations were ordered in multiple areas as floodwaters swamped business districts and partially submerged cars in communities north of Seattle.
Forecasters said conditions should be much drier Tuesday. But the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for several rivers around Western Washington. Strong winds also hit the region Monday. Gusts pushed 60 mph (96 kph) in multiple places, including a gust of 58 mph (93 kph) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Late Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a severe weather state of emergency in 14 Western Washington counties and said the state Emergency Management Division, with support from the Washington National Guard, would coordinate the response.
A state of emergency for the town of Hamilton was declared Sunday. People there, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Seattle, were urged to evacuate.
Cars and trailers were packed into the parking lot outside the Red Cross evacuation site at Hamilton Baptist Church, where dozens of residents are waiting out the storm, the Skagit Valley Herald reported.
Skagit County officials were comparing this flood to severe flooding in 2009, when the Skagit and Samish rivers overflowed and caused damage to homes, farms and infrastructure,
As the water made its way down the Skagit River, people were warned to expect flooding in Sedro-Woolley, Burlington and Mount Vernon and Mount Vernon officials had recommended some evacuations late Monday.
Just south of the Canadian border in Sumas, Washington, officials said city hall was flooded and that the flooding event was looking like one not seen since 1990.