An atmospheric river is hammering Washington state with days of heavy rain, pushing rivers from the Canadian border to southwest Washington into moderate to major flood stage. Gov. Bob Ferguson on Wednesday signed a statewide emergency declaration, activated the Washington National Guard through the end of the month and said he’ll seek fast federal help as officials warn that “lives will be at stake in the coming days.” This report details how much rain is falling along the western Cascades, why the Skagit River is a chief concern as it threatens to top its 1990 record by about four feet upriver, and how local and state agencies are preparing to evacuate roughly seventy‑five thousand people from low‑lying areas. It also covers major road closures — including a fifty‑mile shutdown of Highway 2 — and what emergency managers expect as more wet weather looms next week. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/historic-flooding-prompts-wa-governor-to-declare-emergency/ #WashingtonState #Flooding #PublicSafety #StateOfEmergency #SkagitRiver
