Washington flooding 'extremely unpredictable,' residents should be prepared to evacuate: Governor

Up to 100,000 people in Washington state could be ordered to evacuate amid the threat of "catastrophic" flooding, officials said.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has declared a state of emergency, stressed Thursday that the flooding "is extremely unpredictable" and "potentially historic."

"If you have instructions to evacuate from your local authorities, please, please, please evacuate," the governor pleaded.

This dangerous flooding was sparked by an atmospheric river event that dumped more than 1 foot of rain in parts of western Washington state over the last three days.

Multiple rivers are at major flood stage and more are expected to grow into major flood stage later in the day on Thursday.

The Snohomish River at Snohomish has reached a record high of 34 feet, shattering the prev