Oregon, 1997

Flash Flooding in Oregon, September 11, 1997

September 11, 1997 · NWS BOI · 2 events in 1 county or zone

During the afternoon of September 11th, heavy showers and thunderstorms triggered minor flash flooding over south eastern Oregon. Spotters reported a rock slide over the road to Owyhee Dam and water over highway 201 at Ridgeview near Adrian.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 BOI wrote it up.

During the afternoon of September 11th, heavy showers and thunderstorms triggered minor flash flooding over south eastern Oregon. Spotters reported a rock slide over the road to Owyhee Dam and water over highway 201 at Ridgeview near Adrian. No damage or injuries were reported.

The radar

The Boise radar (KCBX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Malheur

When
September 11, 2:00 PM MST
Where
Malheur County, Adrian
Coordinates
43.193, -117.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Malheur

When
September 11, 2:05 PM MST
Where
Malheur County, 20 mi SW of Nyssa
Coordinates
43.193, -117.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 1997

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: 5616839, 5616838.