Ready for the mountain
Live status for Mount Rainier, the rivers, the weather and earthquakes around Orting, and what to do if something happens.
This page is not a warning system. Real warnings come from the sirens, Pierce County ALERT and the city’s alerts. Sign up for them below.
Roads near Orting
Right now
Road workRoad work on SR 162 both directions at milepost 9.99 near Kansas Ave beginning at 8:56 am on October 27, 2026 until about 4:00 pm.Road workUntil Tue, Oct 27, 4:00pm0 mi from townMap →MoreLess
MaintenanceFrom 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, the exit from eastbound SR 512 to South Meridian will close for maintenance. <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/bulletins/4309026">Read the travel advisory</a>.MaintenanceUntil Thu, Oct 29, 3:00pm7 mi from townMap →MoreLess
MaintenanceFrom 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, the right lane of westbound SR 410 will close approaching the SR 162 interchange for drainage work. The ramp from SR 162 to westbound SR 410 will remain open during the work. Travelers can expect congestion on westbound SR 410 and SR 162 approaching the interchange with delays of up to 20 minutes. <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOT/bulletins/4308f25">Read the travel advisory</a>.MaintenanceUntil Wed, Oct 28, 3:00pm7 mi from townMap →MoreLess
MaintenanceUntil further notice, SR 161 is reduced to one lane in each direction between 36th Street East and Dechaux Road East on North Hill due to slide activity. Travelers can expect shifted lanes and congestion approaching North Hill.MaintenanceUntil Thu, Dec 31, 4:35pm9 mi from townMap →MoreLess
ClosureSR 165 is closed at the Carbon River/Fairfax Bridge to all vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians until further notice. The closure means there is no access across the bridge to Mount Rainier National Park Mowich Lake and Carbon River, or USFS lands. There are no alternate routes open to the public. Note that third party apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps can show routes that cross private lands with locked gates not open to the public.ClosureUntil further notice8 mi from townMap →MoreLess
State highways only (SR 162, 165, 161, 410 and nearby), from WSDOT, checked every 10 minutes. City street work is in Orting News.
How close is the Puyallup to flooding?
168 cfs flowing past Orting right now, 3% of the flow where the Weather Service starts watching for flooding (6,700 cfs). As of 9:15am Oct 27.
December 10, 2025 crest: 20,800 cfs. Record: 21,500 cfs (Nov 6, 2006). Read the history of each flood.
Measured Forecast · Flood levels start at 6,700 cfs, far above this chart.
Source: NOAA/NWS, Puyallup River near Orting. At this gauge the Weather Service sets flood levels by flow, not height.
If the mountain moves
Orting sits in a lahar zone: a fast-moving flow of mud and debris from Mount Rainier could reach town with little warning. These are the basics. The city’s walking and driving evacuation maps have the details.
Know the sirens
Pierce County tests the warning sirens at noon on the first Monday of each month with a chime and a voice announcement. A real warning is a continuous wail with flashing strobes and a spoken message. If you hear that, leave the valley floor right away. Source
Walk, don't drive
The city says to walk, because cars jam the roads. Its main walk-out route is west on Calistoga toward the county rock quarry. The other is south of town, up to the Buttes or Card Road. USGS estimates a large lahar could reach Orting about 40 minutes after the first warning. Source
Don't go to the school
Orting schools walk students to high ground on their own plan, and they practice it every year. Heading to the school slows everyone down. Go to high ground and meet your kids there. Source
Get the alerts
Sign up for both the city's Orting Alerts and Pierce County ALERT. For the county's, text PCALERT to 888-777 or call 253-798-6595. You can choose up to five locations, like home, work and your child's school. More sign-ups are below. Source
The Bridge for Kids
This walking bridge runs from the Foothills Trail over SR 162 toward high ground near Rocky Road NE. It's the first piece of Orting's planned evacuation route; a second bridge over the Carbon River is still being designed. In July the city expected it to open in late September 2026. We haven't seen an opening announcement yet, so check the project page. Source
When the rivers rise
Orting sits between the Puyallup and Carbon rivers. Big winter storms can push both toward flood stage within hours. On December 10, 2025, the Puyallup at Orting reached its second-highest flow on record. Evacuation orders use three levels, and you may not get Level 1 or 2 before Level 3.
Level 1: Be ready
Danger is in your area. Start getting ready to leave: pack your go-bag, check on neighbors and plan where you'll go. Leave if you feel unsafe; don't wait for an order. Source
Level 2: Be set
Be ready to leave at a moment's notice. People who need more time (disabilities, small children, medical needs, large animals) should leave now. Keep your go-bag in the car. Source
Level 3: Go now
Danger is here or about to be. Leave immediately, follow police and fire directions, and don't go back until officials say it's safe. Source
- December 2025: the Puyallup at Orting crested at 20,800 cfs (12.35 ft) on December 10, second only to November 2006. Central Pierce Fire & Rescue ordered Level 3 (Go now) for Williams Blvd NW, Mellinger Ave NW and Stone St NW, and Level 2 for the High Cedars and Pioneer Way E area. Source
- Where orders show up: Pierce County ALERT texts and calls, the city's Orting Alerts, and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue's website and social media, which issued the 2025 orders. Source
- Never walk or drive through moving water or onto a flooded road, and don't drive around barricades. Source
When the ground shakes
Western Washington is earthquake country, and a big quake could also loosen slopes on the mountain. If you feel shaking or get an earthquake alert, act right away.
Drop, cover, hold on
Drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck (under a sturdy table if one is close), and hold on until the shaking stops. Don't run outside or stand in a doorway. Source
In bed
Stay there. Turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Source
Outdoors
Stay outside. Move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines, then drop and cover. Source
Driving
Pull over, stop and set the parking brake. Stay in the car until the shaking stops. Source
Wheelchair or walker
Lock your wheels, get as low as you can, and cover your head and neck with your arms, a book or a pillow. Source
The warning is seconds
ShakeAlert on your phone can give a few seconds of warning, usually 10 or fewer here. Close to the epicenter, it may arrive after shaking starts. Source
Largest earthquakes within 60 miles, past 30 days
- M4.26 km WNW of Wauna, Washington32 mi from Orting · Sep 29
- M2.75 km WSW of Wilderness Rim, Washington29 mi from Orting · Oct 14
- M2.65 km SW of Wilderness Rim, Washington28 mi from Orting · Oct 14
- M2.42 km SW of Ashford, Washington26 mi from Orting · Oct 5
- M2.12 km ENE of Tracyton, Washington41 mi from Orting · Oct 6
Source: USGS. Small quakes like these happen every week in the Puget Sound region.
- The Great Washington ShakeOut drill is Thursday, October 15, 2026. Practice drop, cover, hold on at home, work or school. Source
- The Nisqually earthquake (February 28, 2001) was magnitude 6.8, centered about 10 miles northeast of Olympia. It caused one death and hundreds of injuries. Source
- The Cascadia Subduction Zone off our coast last ruptured on January 26, 1700. USGS puts the chance of a magnitude 9 in the next 50 years at 10 to 15%. Source
Sign up today
These are the official warnings. They reach your phone even when you’re not looking at a website.
Pierce County ALERT
Text PCALERT to 888-777, or call 253-798-6595.
Free county emergency alerts (evacuations, floods, lahars) by text, call or email, for up to five locations. Texts come from 888-777 or 893-61. Source
Orting Alerts (city)
Sign up on the city's Orting Alerts page.
City alerts when life safety is at risk, plus some city notices, by text, call or email. It's separate from the county's, so sign up for both. Source
Earthquake alerts on your phone
Make sure Emergency alerts are on. Android: search Settings for "Earthquake alerts." iPhone: Settings, Notifications. Or get the free MyShake app.
ShakeAlert warnings from USGS, a few seconds before shaking reaches you. Source
Mount Rainier notices (USGS)
Enter your email at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2 and choose Mount Rainier.
Official USGS email when Rainier's alert level changes, plus updates. Email only. Source
River level alerts (USGS)
Create a WaterAlert for gauge 12093500, Puyallup River near Orting, at accounts.waterdata.usgs.gov/wateralert.
An email or text when the river passes a flow you pick, like 6,700 cfs (the Weather Service's action level). Source
NOAA Weather Radio
Set a weather radio to Pierce County code 053053. Try 162.550 and 162.475 MHz and keep the clearer one.
Weather Service warnings around the clock, on battery power, even when cell service is down. Source
Before it happens
Be 2 Weeks Ready
After a big disaster, help may take days or weeks. Keep two weeks of food, water (14 gallons per person), medicine, pet food and warm clothes at home, and build it up a little each month. Source
Plan with your neighbors
Washington's old Map Your Neighborhood program now lives on the state's Neighborhoods page: a skills list, contact sheet, block map and an OK/HELP window sign. Source
Know your route
Pierce County's evacuation page has the lahar route map for Orting and the county's lahar route layer. Walk your route once before you ever need it. Source
Go-bag checklist
- Water: 1 gallon per person per day
- Non-perishable food and a can opener
- Battery or hand-crank radio
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Medicines and glasses
- Whistle
- Dust mask
- Phone charger and backup battery
- Laminated paper map of the area
- Wipes, garbage bags and ties
- Pet food, leash and vet records
- Siren test: a chime and a voice message at noon on the first Monday of the month. A real lahar warning is a continuous wail.
- Lahar: walk, don't drive, to high ground. West on Calistoga toward the county rock quarry, or south toward the Buttes and Card Road. Don't go to the school.
- Flood orders: Level 1 Be ready · Level 2 Be set · Level 3 Go now. Never drive through water.
- Alerts: text PCALERT to 888-777 (county), sign up for the city's Orting Alerts, and turn on phone earthquake alerts.
- Earthquake: drop, cover, hold on. Driving? Pull over and set the brake.
- Our meeting spot: ______________________
- Emergency 911 · Non-emergency 253-287-4455 · Pierce County ALERT 253-798-6595 · Orting City Hall 360-893-2219