(NEW YORK) — At least one person is dead in Washington as flash flooding hits the state, prompting evacuation orders in some areas, officials said
A 33-year-old male driver was removed from a vehicle that was “completely submerged in water” at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Snohomish County Fire District 4. The driver died after apparently driving past road closure signs into an area that remains flooded, according to officials.
“The vehicle left the roadway and entered a lower farmland/ditch area containing approximately six feet of water. Upon arrival, deputies located the vehicle in the water. Fire Rescue Swimmers made contact with the vehicle and removed the driver from the car,” according to the fire district.
Lifesaving measures were attempted but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. There were no other occupants in the vehicle, according to officials.
“At this time, it is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were contributing factors. Positive identification of the decedent, as well as the cause and manner of death, will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office,” officials said.
An evacuation order and flash flood warning are currently in effect for Pacific, Washington, on Tuesday due to a levee breach on the White River. This comes after a separate levee breach in Tukwila, a suburb of Seattle located in King County, prompted a flash flood warning and evacuation orders on Monday.
Times of moderate to heavy rain are forecast to move through Washington on Tuesday, with a widespread swath of heavy rain and some thunderstorms arriving late afternoon and through the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Wednesday will feature snow in the mountains and drier conditions at lower elevations, the National Weather Service said.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report
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