Flood warning issued for this part of the Nooksack River in Whatcom
A flood warning was issued for the south fork of the Nooksack River near the Saxon Bridge, as an “atmospheric river” soaks Whatcom County and much of Western Washington — and landslides are becoming a concern.
According to an estimate from NOAA’s Advanced Hydrology Prediction Service, the Nooksack’s south fork will crest near moderate flood stage of 8.3 feet late Thursday, Oct. 28.
“Rain will continue through the rest of today and into early Friday morning (Oct. 29). These rivers will continue to rise through the night and are expected to reach flood stage by tonight,” the National Weather Service in Seattle said in an online statement that included other Washington state rivers.
“At 8 feet, the Nooksack River floodwaters will inundate much of the low farm lands along the river, with water over some roadways, including potentially Highway 9 north of Acme,” the statement said.
Similar flooding happened when the river crested at 8.5 feet on Jan. 8, 2009, the weather service said.
Over an inch of rain had been recorded at Bellingham International Airport by 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, amid a day of steady rain.
Forecasts also show the Nooksack River cresting at minor flood stage on Friday morning near Nugents Corner and Friday afternoon at Ferndale.
A flood watch remains in effect for those points on the Nooksack River.
But the river isn’t expected to rise enough to cause flooding in Everson and Sumas.
In addition, the weather service issued a special weather statement Thursday warning about the possibility of landslides.
“Rainfall of 2-4 inches in the lowlands and 5-8 inches in the foothills and mountains over the past seven days has increased soil moisture to moderate levels across Western Washington,” the statement said. “Heavy rainfall of 1-2 inches in the lowlands and 3-6 inches in the foothills and mountains is expected over the next 24 hours. This amount of rain will put extra pressure on soil instability, leading to an increased threat of landslides.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 3:41 PM.
