Forecasters from the National Weather Service Seattle office issued a Flood Watch for many parts of western Washington that will be in effect from 4pm today, December 31st, to 4pm tomorrow.
Forecasters say a strong weather system will bring continued heavy rainfall over the northern Cascades today through Wednesday and that is likely to cause significant increases on area river levels.
The Flood Watch statement warned that minor flooding is possible early Wednesday on the Nooksack River “particularly if rainfall is heavier than forecast. Snow levels will be generally above 6,000 feet today, but lowering to around 4,000 feet late Wednesday afternoon. The snow level could impact the runoff and potential flooding, depending on how low and how quickly snow levels lower on Wednesday.”
The river level forecast for the Nooksack River at Ferndale as of 8:20am today shows it cresting past the 17.5-foot mark tomorrow afternoon. It is expected to pass the 15-foot mark, the point at which road impacts typically begin occurring, tomorrow morning.
River level forecasts change frequently and can be monitored at the MFN Nooksack River level page.