Flooding in Idaho, May 26 to 31, 1998

Unusually heavy rainfall during the month of may caused many Idaho rivers to crest above flood stage. In south west Idaho, the Weiser River and Snake River at Weiser, the Payette River at Emmett and the Boise River at Boise all flooded during the final week of the month. The Weiser crested at 2.3 feet above flood stage closing a section of Highway 95, and flooded a car dealership, radio station and a church. This flooding was exacerbated by flood levels on the Snake River, which crested at Weiser 1.8 feet above flood stage. The Payette River at Emmett crested at 1200 cfs higher than flood flow which broke a levee and caused the evacuation of 30 families along the river. In Boise, the Boise River crested at 1300 cfs over flood flow. Mostly farmland and city park land was flooded, however a flood caused levee break forced the evacuation of a trailer park along the river. The Boise river continued to flood until June 10th.