Skagit River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Canada, United States |
Region | British Columbia, Washington |
Cities | Newhalem, Marblemount, Rockport, Concrete, Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, Burlington |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Allison Pass |
• location | E. C. Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia |
• coordinates | 49°07′23″N 120°52′39″W / 49.12306°N 120.87750°W |
• elevation | 4,480 ft (1,370 m) |
Mouth | Skagit forks near Puget Sound |
• location | Skagit City, Washington |
• coordinates | 48°23′14″N 122°22′01″W / 48.38722°N 122.36694°W |
• elevation | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Length | 150 mi (240 km) |
Basin size | 2,656 sq mi (6,880 km2) |
Discharge | |
• location | Mount Vernon, WA, river mile 1 (rkm 1.6) |
• average | 16,530 cu ft/s (468 m3/s) |
• minimum | 3,050 cu ft/s (86 m3/s) |
• maximum | 180,000 cu ft/s (5,100 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Cascade River, Sauk River |
• right | Baker River |
Type | Scenic, Recreational |
Designated | November 10, 1978 |
The Skagit River (/ˈskædʒɪt/ SKAJ-it) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000 hectares) of the Cascade Range along the northern end of Puget Sound and flows into the sound.[1]
The Skagit watershed is characterized by a temperate, mid-latitude, maritime climate. Temperatures range widely throughout the watershed. Recorded temperatures at Newhalem range from a low of −6 °F (−21 °C) to a high of 109 °F (43 °C), with greater extremes likely in the mountains. The highest temperatures are commonly recorded in July; the lowest are in January.