Skagit County Faces Severe Flooding as Homes Flood and Rescues Are Executed
By Chris Daniels, KOMO News Senior Reporter
Fri, Dec 12, 2025 at 7:41 PM | Updated 7:42 PM
An image captured on Dec. 11, 2025, shows the Skagit River in floodwaters (courtesy Kempfe Media via KOMO #SoNorthwest photography).
SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. – Monica Mendez stands on her back deck, watching water from the river pool into her yard. The scene is surreal: water rising so quickly that objects float, and the backyard becomes a moving shoreline before her eyes.
“The water came up so fast and so high,” she recalled, saying her son — who was sleeping downstairs — woke her to warn that water was rushing inside the home.
Mendez has lived along Gages Slough for 15 years and says she’s never seen flooding like this before. “There were no puddles, nothing,” she added, describing the calm that preceded the surge.
In response to the sudden danger, Burlington Police Department and Skagit County Emergency Management ordered a city-wide evacuation early on. The decision followed reports that the Slough, part of the Skagit River watershed, had breached its banks. The city serves roughly 10,000 residents.
By late morning, the evacuation order was narrowed to a smaller, but still densely populated, portion of the city as conditions unfolded. Officials in Skagit County have not released a specific cause for the flooding. However, during an afternoon press conference, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell stated that water had overtopped the levees. County Emergency Management did not respond to requests for comment.
First responders also faced stranded vehicles along roadways, including a stretch of Highway 20 between Sedro-Woolley and Burlington. Late Friday, rescuers were alerted to a young woman trapped by water spilling from the Skagit River.
Mendez remains unsure how or when the recovery and cleanup will proceed. She worries the process could stretch for days, or even weeks.
Experts emphasize that as floodwaters recede, multiple risks emerge, from damaged infrastructure to lingering contamination and unstable banks. Residents in impacted areas are urged to follow official guidance, stay out of waist-deep or faster-moving water, and await the all-clear before returning home.
If you or someone you know is affected by this flood event, contact local emergency services or the Skagit County Emergency Management agency for up-to-date instructions and resources.
