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Over 400,000 without power in Pacific Northwest amid damaging winds, rain

1:16
KOMO
1 dead in Washington state flooding as levee breach prompts evacuations
David Ryder/Reuters
ByNadine El-Bawab and Jennifer Watts
December 17, 2025, 8:07 PM

More than 400,000 customers are without power in the Pacific Northwest, as damaging wind gusts and heavy rain hit multiple states following flash flooding that prompted evacuation orders in some areas.

The majority of outages are in Washington, where over 254,000 are without power, and Oregon, where nearly 136,000 are without power, according to state officials.

Multiple rivers are above flood stage on Wednesday. The Skagit River at Mount Vernon is expected to reach major flood stage on Thursday morning, and the Snoqualmie River at Carnation will near major flood stage by Wednesday evening.

The next round of heavy rain will inundate Oregon and southern Washington and northern California on Thursday and Friday, forecasts show.

At least one person was confirmed dead in Washington on Tuesday as flash flooding hit the Pacific Northwest.

A 33-year-old male driver was removed from a vehicle that was "completely submerged in water" at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Snohomish County Fire District 4. The driver died after apparently driving past road closure signs into an area that remains flooded, according to officials.

"The vehicle left the roadway and entered a lower farmland/ditch area containing approximately six feet of water. Upon arrival, deputies located the vehicle in the water. Fire Rescue Swimmers made contact with the vehicle and removed the driver from the car," according to the fire district.

A vehicle sits in an area flooded by the Green River, after multiple atmospheric rivers brought rain and flooding to the Pacific Northwest, in Auburn, Washington, December 15, 2025.
David Ryder/Reuters

Lifesaving measures were attempted but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. There were no other occupants in the vehicle, according to officials.

"At this time, it is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were contributing factors. Positive identification of the decedent, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office," officials said.

An evacuation order and flash flood warning are currently in effect for Pacific, Washington, on Tuesday due to a levee breach on the White River. This comes after a separate levee breach in Tukwila, a suburb of Seattle located in King County, prompted a flash flood warning and evacuation orders on Monday.

Crews work to repair a failed levee along the Green River, after multiple atmospheric rivers brought rain and flooding to the Pacific Northwest, in Tukwila, Washington, December 15, 2025.
David Ryder/Reuters

Times of moderate to heavy rain are forecast to move through Washington on Tuesday, with a widespread swath of heavy rain and some thunderstorms arriving late afternoon and through the evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Wednesday will feature snow in the mountains and drier conditions at lower elevations, the National Weather Service said. 

ABC News' Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report

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