Western Washington is facing a \u201chistoric\u201d flooding crisis that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes and could displace thousands more Friday as rivers reach record levels.<\/p>\n
There have been no reports of fatalities, but local authorities and first responders stressed the potentially lethal nature of the record-breaking flooding. Warnings remain in place for some parts of the state until Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the Skagit River was expected to crest Friday morning, making the period through Friday night critical for residents and first responders.<\/p>\n
He added that tens of thousands of Washingtonians could face orders or warnings on Friday as the flooding moves into more densely populated areas. As of Friday morning, 5 million people remain under flood watches across western Washington, according to an NBC News analysis.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service said the Skagit reached 37.7 feet overnight and will cause severe or record flooding in the critical agricultural region from Sedro-Woolley to Mount Vernon. The threshold for a flood event is 28 feet.<\/p>\n
As of Friday morning, the Skagit\u2019s water level started to slowly drop, according to an analysis by NBC News.<\/p>\n
In addition to the Skagit River at Mount Vernon, several other rivers saw record crests, according to an NBC News analysis, including at the Snohomish River in Snohomish, the Cedar River in Renton, the Nooksack River in North Cedarville and the Grays River in Rosburg.<\/p>\n