Flooding in Oregon, April 23 to 25, 1996

Name: Flooding in Oregon, April 23 to 25, 1996
Start: 1996-04-23T08:00
End: 1996-04-25T23:00
Location: Oregon

April 23 to 25, 1996 · NWS PQR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Heavy rainfall occurred on the 22nd of April over the Coast Mountains of Northwestern Oregon. 98 inches in 24 hours at Laurel Mountain.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.

Heavy rainfall occurred on the 22nd of April over the Coast Mountains of Northwestern Oregon. 4.35 inches of rain in 24 hours was recorded at Elsie, and 5.98 inches in 24 hours at Laurel Mountain. This rain caused rivers draining this region to flood. Gaged rivers which recorded flooding problems included the Siletz, Wilson, and Nehalem Rivers. Heavy rains also fell over the Northern Cascades, swelling rivers draining the western slopes. In Eastern Oregon lesser amounts of rain fell, but still enough to cause the Umatilla River to reach flood stage along with other rivers draining the Northeast Mountains. The Columbia River crested slightly above flood stage at Vancouver, WA. Most rivers and streams receeded to below flood stages by April 26th.

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Oregon Coast

When: April 23, 8:00 AM PST to April 25, 11:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Coast forecast zone

Flood, Central Coast Range of W Oregon

When: April 23, 8:00 AM PST to April 25, 11:00 PM PST
Where: Central Coast Range of W Oregon forecast zone

Flood, North Oregon Cascades Foothills

When: April 23, 8:00 AM PST to April 25, 11:00 PM PST
Where: North Oregon Cascades Foothills forecast zone

Flood, Northern Oregon Cascades

When: April 23, 8:00 AM PST to April 25, 11:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Cascades forecast zone

Flood, Central Oregon Coast

When: April 23, 8:00 AM PST to April 25, 11:00 PM PST
Where: Central Oregon Coast forecast zone

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5556809, 5556956, 5556957, 5556958, 5556959.