{
  "id": "2025-12-10-skagit-valley-college-atmospheric-river-flooding",
  "slug": "skagit-valley-college-atmospheric-river-flooding-2025-12-10",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Skagit Valley College",
    "shortName": "SVC",
    "state": "WA",
    "type": "community-college",
    "alertSystemName": "SVC Alert",
    "enrollment": 8000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-12-10",
    "endDate": "2025-12-15",
    "type": "flooding",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Multi-day campus closure during record Skagit River flooding",
    "summary": "On December 10, 2025, [Skagit Valley College closed all campuses and centers from 4 PM Wednesday through 5 PM Friday](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/dec/10/these-whatcom-skagit-schools-have-announced-closures-due-to-flooding/) as a back-to-back atmospheric river event drove the [Skagit River toward record levels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods). All Skagit residents in the 100-year floodplain (roughly 75,000 people) were ordered to evacuate. SVC moved some final exams online and rescheduled others. Governor Bob Ferguson held a press conference at the college during the flood event.",
    "outcome": "Skagit Valley College issued a morning open/use-caution notice on Dec. 10, then closed all campuses from 4 p.m. Dec. 10, extended the closure through Dec. 14, and reopened Monday Dec. 15. Some finals were remote or rescheduled. National Guard and emergency personnel staged on the Mount Vernon campus during recovery.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    },
    "headlinePublic": "Multi-day campus closure during record Skagit River flooding"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2025-12-10T08:00:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Skagit Valley College remains open today Wed., Dec. 10; however, we are monitoring regional flooding and road conditions closely. Please use caution when traveling to campus and allow extra time for your commute.\n\nWe understand that some individuals may be unable to reach campus due to flooding or other circumstances impacting their ability to travel. If you encounter unsafe conditions or are unable to reach campus due to flooding, please notify your supervisor or instructor as soon as possible regarding adjusted schedules or remote work options where appropriate.\n\nStudents: Finals are still taking place as scheduled, and you are encouraged to attend if you can do so safely. If you are unable to travel due to flooding or other extenuating circumstances, please contact your instructor! right away.\n\nWe will continue to provide updates if conditions change. Stay safe and travel carefully, Cardinals!",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html",
      "sourceDescription": "SVC Emergency Communications — Dec. 10, 2025 8 a.m. open/use caution",
      "characterCount": 909,
      "annotations": [
        "Official archive body; trailing \"instructor!\" bang preserved from source page."
      ]
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2025-12-10T15:25:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Due to flooding and severe weather, all Skagit Valley College campuses and centers will close today at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, and will remain closed through Friday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m.\n\nSome finals will be held remotely and some will be moved to a later date. Students should coordinate directly with their instructors for class and final exam information.\n\nThis serves as an update to today's earlier message. This closure supports the safety and well-being of students, employees, and members of our college community. Please use extreme caution as you head home. Continue to be safe, take care of yourselves, and prioritize your well-being during this severe weather.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html",
      "sourceDescription": "SVC Emergency Communications — Dec. 10, 2025 3:25 p.m. multi-day closure",
      "characterCount": 673,
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text transcribed from the official SVC or university page cited in sourceUrl."
      ]
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2025-12-12T11:37:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "As recovery efforts continue throughout our region, Skagit Valley College will extend its closure of all campuses and centers through the end of the day (11:59 p.m.) on Sunday, Dec. 14. The closure includes the gym, pickleball courts, tennis courts, playfields, and McIntyre Hall on the Mount Vernon campus. We recognize the severity of this situation and know that many in our community are experiencing significant challenges. Please continue to prioritize your safety and the well-being of those around you.\n\nThe college is currently supporting local response efforts by providing space for emergency management personnel and the National Guard on its Mount Vernon campus, who are coordinating and assisting with regional operations. We remain in close communication with local and state emergency officials and continue to monitor conditions as they evolve.\n\nThank you for your continued flexibility, patience, and support as we work through this challenging time together. We plan to provide another update on Sunday, Dec. 14 regarding college reopening plans.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html",
      "sourceDescription": "SVC Emergency Communications — Dec. 12, 2025 extension through Sunday Dec. 14",
      "characterCount": 1065,
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text transcribed from the official SVC or university page cited in sourceUrl."
      ]
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2025-12-14T11:22:00-08:00",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "We hope you and your loved ones are safe as our region continues to navigate the impacts of the recent flooding. Thank you for your patience and resilience during this challenging time. We are pleased to share that all Skagit Valley College campuses and centers will reopen on Monday, Dec. 15 for regular operations. The reopening includes the gym, pickleball courts, tennis courts, playfields, and McIntyre Hall on the Mount Vernon campus.\n\nAs you make your way to campus, please reference the Skagit County road closure map to ensure you are traveling safely and avoiding impacted routes.\n\nAs we return, please be aware that the college is housing emergency personnel in several spaces on the Mount Vernon campus to support ongoing community response efforts which includes the Cardinal Center and parts of Angst Hall's first floor.\n\nTheir presence means that some parking lots will be unavailable, and campus may look a little different than usual. Please plan to park on the campus' west parking lots (L1, L2, and L3). The parking lots unavailable include most of lots C1, C2, and C3. We appreciate your flexibility as we continue to assist our community.\n\nWe also recognize that many in our community have been personally affected by the recent flooding. If you are an employee who is unable to return to campus on Monday due to personal circumstances with evacuations or flooding, please contact your supervisor to discuss special arrangements.\n\nWe've all been through a lot this past week, and with additional rain in the forecast, we will continue to monitor conditions closely and provide updates as needed. The well-being and safety of our students and employees remain our highest priority.\nThank you again for your understanding, compassion, and support of one another and our community.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html",
      "sourceDescription": "SVC Emergency Communications — Dec. 14, 2025 reopen Monday Dec. 15",
      "characterCount": 1799,
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text transcribed from the official SVC or university page cited in sourceUrl."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Skagit Valley College](https://www.skagit.edu/) is a community college serving roughly 8,000 students from a main campus in Mount Vernon, Washington, with centers across Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties. From December 8 through December 12, 2025, [back-to-back atmospheric rivers rated AR-4 to AR-5 delivered approximately 5 trillion gallons of rainfall over one week to Western Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods). The Skagit River was forecast to crest at 40.65 feet in Concrete on December 11 and at 36.91 feet at Mount Vernon early December 12. SVC announced on December 10 that [all campuses and centers would close from 4:00 PM Wednesday through 5:00 PM Friday](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/dec/10/these-whatcom-skagit-schools-have-announced-closures-due-to-flooding/), with [some final exams moved to remote and others rescheduled](https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html). All Skagit residents in the [100-year floodplain — roughly 75,000 people — were ordered to evacuate](https://www.nwpb.org/local/2025-12-11/100-000-evacuated-in-historic-skagit-valley-flood-in-washington-state) on Wednesday night. Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, and the upriver communities of Hamilton, Conway, Rockport, Marblemount, and Concrete were all advised to evacuate. Governor Bob Ferguson held a press conference at SVC during the flooding. The Skagit, Snohomish, and Cedar Rivers all broke all-time flood records on December 11; a federal emergency declaration was approved December 12. The case is significant as one of the first community college closures driven by an AR-5 atmospheric river, the highest-magnitude classification in the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes' five-tier scale, and demonstrated how post-COVID online infrastructure enabled remote finals during a sudden multi-day weather closure.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "SVC closed for two and a half days during a forecast historic atmospheric river, the institution acted on forecast crest data, not on already-flooded conditions",
    "Some final exams were moved to remote delivery within the closure announcement itself, a post-COVID capability that pre-2020 community colleges could not have offered",
    "The closure coincided with a 75,000-person mandatory evacuation across the surrounding floodplain, making this both a campus-safety and regional-disaster response",
    "Governor Bob Ferguson held a press conference at SVC during the flooding, illustrating how closed community college campuses serve as regional emergency hubs"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "These Skagit, Whatcom schools are closed again Friday due to flooding (Cascadia Daily News)",
      "url": "https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/dec/10/these-whatcom-skagit-schools-have-announced-closures-due-to-flooding/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "100,000 evacuated in historic Skagit Valley flood in Washington state (Northwest Public Broadcasting)",
      "url": "https://www.nwpb.org/local/2025-12-11/100-000-evacuated-in-historic-skagit-valley-flood-in-washington-state",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Emergency Communications (Skagit Valley College Security Services)",
      "url": "https://www.skagit.edu/security-services/emergency-communications.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "2025 Pacific Northwest floods (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "December 8-11, 2025 Heavy Rainfall and Flooding: Historical Context (UW Climate Impacts Group)",
      "url": "https://climate.uw.edu/2026/01/13/december-8-11-2025-heavy-rainfall-and-flooding-historical-context-and-a-note-on-snow-drought/",
      "type": "after-action-report"
    },
    {
      "title": "Historical Flooding in Western Washington – December 2025 (WSU Skagit Extension)",
      "url": "https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/2025/12/15/historical-flooding-in-western-washington-december-2025/",
      "type": "after-action-report"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "flooding",
    "atmospheric-river",
    "skagit-river",
    "washington",
    "community-college",
    "skagit-valley-college",
    "remote-finals",
    "ar-5",
    "pacific-northwest",
    "mandatory-evacuation"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-27",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}