2025 Whatcom County Floods: Live Evacuation Maps, Road Closures & Relief

MAJOR FLOODING GRIPS WHATCOM COUNTY AS NOOKSACK RIVER TOPS RECORDS An atmospheric river drenching Northwest Washington has pushed the Nooksack River to 150 feet near Nugents Corner—breaking the 2006 record and forcing evacuations in Sumas, Everson and Nooksack, while water speeds exceeded 62,000 cubic feet per second. With the river cresting, Ferndale braces for peak levels forecast at 23 feet early Friday. EVACUATIONS, ROAD CLOSURES AND INFRASTRUCTURE THREATS • Whatcom County activated its Emergency Operations Center and evacuated low-lying neighborhoods after levee overtopping on Twin View Dike, a mudslide on Silver Lake Road and a landslide in Kendall damaged at least one home. • The U.S.–Canada border crossing at Sumas and key arteries such as Badger Road and Ferndale Road are closed; officials warn drivers not to bypass barricades. • Up to 1,500 residents may be displaced, although exact counts remain under survey. FERNDALE’S FLOOD FIGHT City crews in Ferndale have built berms at the BNSF trestle on Bass Street, reinforced pump stations and opened public sandbag stations while issuing voluntary evacuation alerts. WHY THE WATER ROSE SO FAST Bellingham recorded 4.57 inches of rain in the first ten days of December—already surpassing the normal monthly total—while warm rainfall melted North Cascades snowpack, accelerating runoff into the Nooksack watershed. FORECAST AND CONTINUING THREATS The National Weather Service projects scattered showers through Sunday; slow-draining rivers like the Nooksack will stay above flood stage for several days, and saturated hillsides raise landslide risk. RESOURCES FOR AFFECTED RESIDENTS • Flood Call Center: 360-788-5303 (English/Spanish) • Shelters open through Friday night: North County Christ the King (1816 18th St., Lynden) and Sonlight Church (8800 Bender Rd., Lynden). • Interactive county road-closure map: whatcomcounty.us/952/Road-Closures-Restrictions. Officials urge residents to monitor alerts, prepare go-bags and avoid floodwaters as Whatcom County navigates its most significant flooding since 2021.