Nisqually River near National, WA

The last 7 days and the forecast

NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:51 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

• 15000 ftthe Nisqually River will cause major flooding along the upper reaches of the river from Mt Rainier National Park downstream to Alder Lake. Deep and swift flood waters will inundate roads...pasture lands...and farms. The river will likely overtop some levees. Flooding will occur all along the river including headwaters...tributaries...and other streams within and near the Nisqually River Basin.
• 10000 ftthe Nisqually River will flood along the upper reaches of the river from Mt Rainier National Park downstream to Alder Lake. Swift waters will flood roads...pasture lands...and farms. Erosion may damage the river banks.
• 8000 ftthe Nisqually River will flood roads and pasture lands along the upper reaches of the river from Mt Rainier National Park downstream to Alder Lake.
• 6000 ftthe Nisqually River will locally spill over its banks along the upper reaches of the river downstream to Alder Lake.

Highest crests on record

1. 13.14 ft — November 6, 2006
2. 12.82 ft — November 12, 2008
3. 12.69 ft — January 7, 2009
4. 12.18 ft — February 8, 1996
5. 12.01 ft — November 5, 2015

Recent crests: 9.74 ft (December 11, 2025) · 11.71 ft (December 10, 2025) · 11.29 ft (December 9, 2025) · 10.31 ft (December 1, 2023) · 10.37 ft (November 5, 2022)

Up and down the river, and nearby

• DownstreamNisqually River at McKenna, WA
• Puyallup River near Electron, WA
• Cowlitz River at Randle, WA
• Carbon River near Fairfax, WA
• Cowlitz River near Kosmos, WA
• Puyallup River near Orting, WA
• Tilton River near Cinebar, WA
• Cowlitz River at Packwood, WA
• Skookumchuck River near Vail, WA