Mountain Rains Raise Nooksack River Level – A Lot

As forecast earlier, heavy rains landed in the Cascades and with that rivers have risen.

There was a report today, September 21st, of two people and their vehicle stranded in the Nooksack River several miles upstream from Ferndale near Everson. In addition, water over the roadway was reported further south in Wickersham by Highway 9.

Closer to home, beaches by Hovander Homestead and VanderYacht Parks have disappeared as the Nooksack River quickly rose in the area by the Main Street bridge. The before and after pictures below show the differences in beach area at VanderYacht Park.

with beach — 9/1/15 Beach is visible. River level is approximately 4-feet.
Photo: Discover Ferndale

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without beach — 9/21/15 Beach is no longer visible. River level is approximately 12-feet.
Photo: Discover Ferndale

According to data provided by Northwest River Forecast Center at NOAA, the Nooksack River at Ferndale recently rose from a level of 4.5 feet to 12 feet in only 33 hours (midnight 9/20 to 9am on 9/21). Fortunately, this is several feet below flood stage (19-feet) but serves as a reminder how quickly river conditions can change as a result of weather in the mountains.