Flood Warning Issued for Cowlitz River at Kelso Through Saturday Morning

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Portland, OR, has issued a Flood Warning for the Cowlitz River at Kelso. The warning is in effect from Friday afternoon, March 13, through early Saturday morning, March 14.

Affected Areas

The warning specifically impacts Cowlitz County in Washington, focusing on the Cowlitz River at Kelso. Impacted locations include the Cowlitz Gardens neighborhood and various secondary roads, pastures, and lowlands upstream of Kelso.

What You Should Do

Residents and motorists are advised to take the following precautions:

• Do not attempt to drive around barricades.
• Do not drive through flooded areas. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
• Follow the safety mantra: “Turn around, don’t drown.”
• Monitor local weather updates for further developments.

Expected Conditions

Minor flooding is forecast for the region. As of 9:43 AM PDT Friday, the river stage was measured at 20.9 feet. The river is expected to oscillate around the flood stage of 21.5 feet, reaching a maximum forecast value of 21.6 feet this evening. Bankfull stage for this area is 18.0 feet. At levels above 21.5 feet, flooding begins on secondary roads and in the Cowlitz Gardens neighborhood.

Timeline

The Flood Warning was issued at 10:01 AM PDT on March 13. The onset of flooding conditions is expected to begin around 4:03 PM PDT Friday. The warning is currently scheduled to remain in effect until 5:38 AM PDT on Saturday, March 14. The National Weather Service expects to issue the next statement by 10:15 PM PDT Friday evening.