2023 Pacific Northwest floods explained

Fatalities:

2

Active:

no

In December 2023, an atmospheric river caused flooding in the Pacific Northwest. Rainfall and temperature records were set in the U.S. state of Washington.^[1] Two deaths have been attributed to this flood.^[2] One person died in Portland.^[3]

Oregon

The Oregon Coast saw highway and school closures, and Cape Lookout State Park closed as well.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Washington

A mudslide south of Kelso caused Amtrak to suspend passenger rail service on the Cascades and Coast Starlight between Seattle and Portland, Oregon.^[7]

The Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County reached 21.34feet at Arlington, setting a new record high.^[8] The river inundated the community of Silvana^[8] and cut off portions of State Route 530.^[9] Local teams made 13 rescues along the Stillaguamish River and responded to several other calls for stranded people cut off by the Skykomish River in Monroe.^[10]

Notes and References

1. Web site: December 5, 2023 . Atmospheric river soaks Pacific Northwest with record-breaking rain and unusually warm temperatures . December 6, 2023 . AP News . en.
2. Web site: Trotta . Daniel . December 5, 2023 . Atmospheric River Pounds US Northwest; Two Deaths Reported . U.S. News & World Report . Reuters . December 6, 2023.
3. Web site: Wolfe . Elizabeth . Shackelford . Robert . Gilbert . Mary . December 5, 2023 . 1 dead as powerful atmospheric river pummels Northwest with over 8 inches of rain . December 6, 2023 . CNN . en.
4. Web site: Foden-Vencil . Kristian . 2023-12-05 . Flooding closes highways along Oregon Coast . 2023-12-07 . Oregon Public Broadcasting . en.
5. Web site: De Dios . Austin . 2023-12-06 . Flooding on the Oregon coast, swollen creeks in Portland as forecast calls for more rain . 2023-12-07 . The Oregonian . en.
6. https://apnews.com/article/oregon-washington-flooding-portland-seattle-rain-pacific-17d983781b3b1516265c82bcc2dddd5b 2 bodies found in creeks as atmospheric river drops record-breaking rain in Pacific Northwest
7. News: Kroman . David . December 5, 2023 . Amtrak service between Seattle and Portland canceled due to landslide . The Seattle Times . December 6, 2023.
8. News: Zhou . Amanda . December 7, 2023 . In tiny Silvana, flooding is a way of life. It’s getting worse . . December 7, 2023.
9. News: Tall . Jonathan . Tizon . Maya . Hansen . Joradn . de Lapparent Alvarez . Aina . December 5, 2023 . Stillaguamish River flood breaks record after 6 inches of rain . . December 6, 2023.
10. News: de Lapparent Alvarez . Aina . Hansen . Jordan . Tizon . Maya . Tall . Jonathan . December 6, 2023 . Over a dozen rescues in Snohomish County after record flooding on Stilly . The Everett Herald . December 6, 2023.