Flood warning in effect for Tolt River, with more rain expected



CARNATION, Wash. -- People are keeping an eye on several rivers throughout Western Washington. A flood warning took effect Friday night for the Tolt River in King County.

Peter Coulter stopped by the Tolt River on his way home to see how high the water had gotten, and how fast it was moving.

“I was just watching big trees, they get caught up and snap like toothpicks. The force of the water is just incredible.”

With rain expected throughout the weekend, Coulter says the Tolt will likely overflow its banks.

“The river will get high. It'll come up potentially to this parking lot, some of the fields may get flooded. But it's not going to shut the city down.”

But officials are worried that even a little bit of water on the roads could create dangerous driving conditions.

“If there is standing water on a street, it's very difficult to tell how deep water is,” says Kent Fire Department Capt. Kyle Ohashi.

Every year, crews are forced to rescue drivers who get stuck or swept away on flooded roads. Ohashi says it’s better to just stay away.

“You may be perfectly safe, but why take the chance?”

Robert Keyser agrees. He knows just how bad the roads can get when there’s too much rain. He lives near the Snohomish River.

“We’ve had really bad flooding where I live, it's been really bad in the past.”

He hopes it isn’t too bad this weekend. But he says there’s not much he can do if the rain comes down too heavy or fast.

“It’s not like I like it, but it happens every year. It's rainy season.”

Patty Page says the only thing people can do is get outside and take advantage of the dry moments in between storms.

“We get this every fall; one should be used to it by now.”

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office tweeted Friday night that there is a flood watch for the Skykomish, Stillaguamish and Snoqualmie rivers from Saturday night through Sunday morning.  It reminded people that if roadways or walkways are covered in water, do not attempt to cross them.