Debris Flow — West Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes, Washington

2009-01-07 · West Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes, Washington

Event narrative

Multiple mudslides spilled across Highway 20 near Concrete, tearing out a concrete barrier, about 1000 feet of guard rail and power poles. Also near concrete a single family home was destroyed by a mudslide. Some people were ordered to evacuate while others lost power.

Another landslide covered the Mount Baker Hwy east of Deming and another one off of the highway damaged a home. A couple of homes near Van Zandt were damaged by mudslides.

Wider weather episode

Rainfall of 8-20 inches in the mountains and 1 to 9 inches in the lowlands occurred from Jan 6th through 8th. Flooding was widespread over much of Western Washington. Record flooding occurred on the Snoqualmie, Tolt, and North Fork Stillaguamish Rivers. Near record flooding occurred on the Snohomish, Newaukum, and Skookumchuck Rivers. Major flooding occurred on 18 rivers and 21 forecast points. Surveys found an estimated 497 residences that were destroyed or suffered major damage, and another 2,340 residences that needed repairs. Over 44,000 people were evacuated as a result of rising or high water as well as landslides.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 148699. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.