Flooding Yakima River near Tri-Cities starts receding

The Yakima River crested just above the Tri-Cities Thursday morning at about a half foot over flood level and had started to recede by afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The closest gauge to the Tri-Cities, which is at Kiona, measured the water level at a peak of 13.53 feet Thursday morning. It had dropped to 13.48 feet by 3 p.m. and was expected to fall below the flood stage of 13 feet Friday monring

However, the water level will remain in what the weather service calls the “action stage” of at least 11 feet until about Sunday afternoon. People visiting or living near the water should continue to use caution.

Water may be over roads in some places, pastures have flooded and some riverbanks may be unstable as the water undercuts them, according to the weather service.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Flooding Yakima River near Tri-Cities starts receding."