As unrelenting rains fell Wednesday morning, Mount Vernon Mayor Peter Donovan said the city was bracing for the worst.

“We are currently preparing for what appears to be a potentially worst-case scenario, which is a massive flood event for Skagit County,” Donovan said. “And the type of flood event, if this current prediction holds, that we haven’t experienced, at least in in recent history.”

A good portion of the city is in the floodplain, Donovan said.

A floodwall was completed in the city in 2018 and first really tested in 2021, Donovan said. The floodwall has been installed to handle water in the Skagit River up to 37 feet, according to the city.

The prediction of 41.5 feet would definitely challenge the floodwall, Donovan said. There are also concerns about the levee system along t

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