Flash Flood, Klamath
- When
- May 7, 5:05 PM PST to 5:47 PM PST
- Where
- Klamath County, Klamath Falls
- Coordinates
- 42.686, -121.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood and Hail in Oregon, May 7, 1998
An upper level trough and abundant moisture in the atmosphere combined to produce thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain in south central Oregon late on the afternoon of the 7th. Hail up to dime size piled up to three inches deep in Klamath Falls.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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 MFR wrote it up.
An upper level trough and abundant moisture in the atmosphere combined to produce thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain in south central Oregon late on the afternoon of the 7th. Hail up to dime size piled up to three inches deep in Klamath Falls. Nearly an inch of rain fell in downtown Klamath Falls within an hour during the same storm, and caused extensive flooding of streets and businesses. Up to a foot of water filled streets and flowed into some businesses, causing minor damages.
The radar
The Medford radar (KMAX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:38 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Klamath
- When
- May 7, 5:40 PM PST
- Where
- Klamath County, Klamath Falls
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 42.230, -121.770
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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, May 7 to 8, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 7, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, May 7, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, May 7, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Ohio, May 7, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Georgia, May 7 to 8, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 7, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Virginia, May 7, 1998
- Tornado in Tennessee, May 7, 1998
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in South Carolina, May 7, 1998
- Tornado in Tennessee, May 7, 1998
- Tornado in North Carolina, May 7, 1998
More
Every storm in Oregon in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 1998
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: 5641402, 5641401.