Flood Warning Issued for Lower Stehekin Valley in Chelan County Through Saturday

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Spokane has issued a Flood Warning for the lower Stehekin Valley. The alert was issued on March 10 and remains in effect until 8:00 PM PDT on Saturday, March 14. The warning was triggered by flooding caused by a combination of rain and snowmelt.

Affected Areas

The warning specifically affects portions of North Central Washington, primarily within Chelan County. Impacted locations include the lower Stehekin Valley and the Company Creek Campground.

What You Should Do

Residents and travelers are advised to “Turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flooded roads. Most flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. The NWS recommends avoiding the warned area and monitoring local conditions closely.

Expected Conditions

As of Tuesday evening, the Stehekin River was already above Action Stage. A period of moderate to heavy rain combined with high winds is expected to lead to rapid snowmelt Wednesday night into Thursday.

Specific river gauge impacts include:

• 19.3 feet: Water breaches the river bank.
• 20.0 feet: Water inundates some properties and overtops the temporary corduroy bridge. Company Creek Road begins to flood at the northern end, and Battalion Creek culverts are overtopped.
• 20.5 feet: Water begins to damage Wood Road.

A secondary peak of 19.8 feet is currently forecast for Thursday afternoon. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.5 inches are possible in the warned area through Saturday evening.

Timeline

The Flood Warning is effective immediately and is expected to last until 8:00 PM PDT on Saturday, March 14.