Rivers in Washington

Pilchuck River near Snohomish

King County, WashingtonNWS PILW1USGS 12155300Seattle office

Below flood stage
9.89ftStage

Observed Thu, Sep 24, 1:45 PM PDT

Flood stage
18.00 ft
Forecast crest
10.35 ftFri, Sep 25, 11:00 PM PDT
Record crest
20.39 ft2009

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood22.00 ft
Moderate flood20.00 ft
Minor flood18.00 ft
Action16.00 ft
  1. 22.00 ftthe Pilchuck River will cause record major flooding and will likely overtop levees. Flood waters will inundate residences and roads along the river from Menzel Lake Rd. upstream of Granite Falls down through the Lake Stevens area and Snohomish. This includes areas around Sexton Rd. and Orchard Ave in Snohomish...and 28th Place NE near Lake Stevens.
  2. 20.00 ftthe Pilchuck River will cause flooding of residences and roads along the river from menzel Lake Rd. upstream of Granite Falls down through the Lake Stevens area and Snohomish. This includes areas around Sexton Rd. and Orchard Ave in Snohomish...and 28th Place NE near Lake Stevens.
  3. 18.00 ftthe Pilchuck River spills out of its banks...flooding residences and roads in low lying areas along the river from Granite Falls downstream through the Lake Stevens area and Snohomish. This includes areas around Sexton Rd. and Orchard Ave in Snohomish.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 24, 2026.

Crest history

23 crests on NOAA’s list since 1993.

#DateStage
1January 8, 200920.39 ft
2January 5, 201519.50 ft
3February 22, 201219.20 ft
4December 16, 199919.16 ft
5November 6, 200619.14 ft
6February 8, 199618.18 ft
7November 7, 200817.90 ft
8October 22, 201917.78 ft
9January 25, 199317.71 ft
10December 20, 199417.69 ft
11December 11, 202517.67 ft
12March 31, 201117.17 ft
13December 12, 201017.05 ft
14March 24, 200716.92 ft
15December 23, 201316.85 ft
16November 25, 200416.80 ft
17December 3, 200716.78 ft
18October 21, 200316.73 ft
19January 9, 201316.62 ft
20November 19, 200316.51 ft
21January 21, 201116.38 ft
22October 30, 199716.19 ft
23December 11, 200416.03 ft

Most recent crests

  • December 11, 2025: 17.67 ft
  • October 22, 2019: 17.78 ft
  • January 5, 2015: 19.50 ft
  • December 23, 2013: 16.85 ft
  • January 9, 2013: 16.62 ft
  • February 22, 2012: 19.20 ft
  • March 31, 2011: 17.17 ft
  • January 21, 2011: 16.38 ft
  • December 12, 2010: 17.05 ft
  • January 8, 2009: 20.39 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past and future precipitation. The stages/flows that will occur may be different if future rainfall is different than forecast.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.