Flooding prompts Thurston County road closures, park closures Wednesday
Thursday update: Tumwater Valley Drive reopened late Wednesday afternoon, according to the City of Tumwater. Thurston County Public Works has closed 175th Avenue Southwest between Moon Road Southwest and McCormick Street Southwest. The other three county closures remain in effect. Areas around Capitol Lake at Heritage Park in Olympia remained closed due to flooding as well. Calls for service on state highways have calmed down “dramatically” as of Thursday morning, Washington State Patrol Trooper Kameron Watts said.
Initial post: Flooding prompted several closures around Thurston County Wednesday as an atmospheric river pressed through the region.
About 0.85-inches of rain fell in the Olympia area Tuesday following a record-breaking 3.03-inches on Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
More rain arrived Wednesday and more still is expected throughout the rest of the week. A flood watch advisory remains in effect in Thurston County through Friday afternoon. The NWS warned earlier this week that excessive runoff may flood rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. The prediction has borne out as road and park closures now dot the area.
The City of Tumwater announced that Tumwater Valley Drive, a road that runs along the Deschutes River, was closed Wednesday due to water over the roadway. The closure blocks access to Tumwater Valley Golf Club, which already closed its course yesterday due to flooding.
The city also closed Pioneer Park due to excessive water. This park features multiple sports fields and courts as well as access to the Deschutes River.
Areas around Capitol Lake at Heritage Park in Olympia were closed Tuesday due to flooding as well.
The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services stated the closure would last through at least the afternoon Wednesday or however long it may take for conditions to improve.
Meanwhile, Thurston County Public Works has closed three roadways as of Wednesday afternoon.
Independence Road Southwest in Rochester was closed between Albany Road Southwest and Michigan Hill Road Southwest. The closure affects a portion of the roadway that crosses over the Chehalis River.
LaFrance Road Southwest was closed between 127th Avenue Southwest and 123rd Avenue Southwest in Littlerock near Black River.
Lastly, 110th Avenue Southwest was closed between Littlerock Road Southwest and Delphi Road Southwest in an area north of Littlerock, also near Black River.
Current road closures in unincorporated Thurston County can be found on the county’s Public Works website.
Thurston County Public Works advises drivers to avoid flooded streets as waters can be deeper or moving faster than may be perceptible.
Additionally, the county warns that it’s dangerous and illegal to drive around a “road closed” sign. People who do so may be fined upward of $400.
The only notable power outage Wednesday occurred along Gravelly Beach Loop Northwest along Eld Inlet. Puget Sound Energy reported the outage started just before 7 a.m. and affected about 153 customers.
The cause of the outage was listed as “trees/vegetation.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM.
