Yakima River flooding worries Benton City, W. Richland but risk eases
The Yakima River will cause minor flooding in West Richland this week, but likely won’t be as severe as initially feared.
The National Weather Service now anticipates the river will crest at 14.62 feet late Friday night.
That’s about a foot lower than the initial warning, which would have put the water close to levels last seen in 1996.
Anyone needing sandbags can pick them up at the fire stations at 1400 Harrington Road in West Richland or 1304 Dale Avenue in Benton City, according to information from Benton County fire districts 2 and 4.
The bags will need to be filled, but items will be available to help with that.
Benton County Fire District 2 in Benton City offered help if they aren’t responding to an emergency. You can call 509-588-3212.
Upriver near Benton City, emergency response crews and residents who live along the Yakima River were still preparing for rising water levels.
Beach RV Park residents Daniel Quinn, Candice Hutton, and Tom Grogan stood along the river bank discussing their options as they prepared to evacuate if needed.
The three said they watched the water levels closely overnight and planned to move their travel trailers and belongings from nearby storage sheds if it rose too high.
The flooding is the result of massive amounts of rain poured on Washington by a prolonged “atmospheric river” weather event that will linger into Thursday, said weather forecasters.
Instruments at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco recorded 0.28 inches of rain on Dec. 9. The chance of rain Wednesday and Thursday stands at 20%.
The Yakima is still expected to exceed 11 feet, the level at which the banks are considered full.
At 14.5 feet, the weather service predicts there will be moderate flooding of farmland, roads and some residential areas, particularly in the West Richland area.
The flooding could be comparable to the December 2015 flood, when it crested at 14.71 feet.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pendleton continues to warn that river flooding is likely through the weekend.
-Freelance photographer Scott Hunt contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 11:41 AM.