Flood alert: Rain could fill the Yakima River to its brim near the Tri-Cities

Heavy rainfall in the southeast Washington state mountains and melting snow will leave the Yakima River running high and fast.

The National Weather Service predicts the river will crest at the closest gauge to the Tri-Cities Saturday night at about 12 feet and three inches.

That’s below the 13 feet that is considered flood stage at the Kiona gauge near Benton City, but the river could overflow its banks in some spots.

“Bank full” is 11 feet and the river is forecast to be that high or higher from early Saturday morning through Monday evening.

People are urged to take precautions when the river reaches 11 feet.

Residents near the river at Benton City and West Richland should be prepared to secure any belongings near the water and move animals out of low-lying pastures over the weekend. People should use caution along its banks.

On Wednesday evening the river had dropped to close to eight feet at the Kiona gauge, down from 9.64 feet deep on Monday, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, but was expected to start rising again Thursday evening.

Moderate to heavy rain is forecast through Friday in the Washington Cascade Mountains.

This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.