Washington, 1998

Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in Washington, December 1 to 29, 1998

December 1 to 29, 1998 · NWS OTX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

9 heavy snow, 2 flash flood, 1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow, 2 flash flood, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Whitman & Extreme Se Spokane

When
December 1, 6:00 AM PST to December 2, 9:00 AM PST
Where
Whitman & Extreme Se Spokane forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several reports of 4-15 inches of snow fell in a 12 hour period each day. The highest amount was 23" near Plain. Other locations that received heavy snow were Republic, Chewelah, Leavenworth, Omak, Deer Park, Pullman, Meatalin, Waconda, Wilbur, Waterville and Quincy. Several highway accidents were reported from the snow and icy roads.

Heavy Snow, S Grant & Sw Adams

When
December 7, 9:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where
S Grant & Sw Adams forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.095, -119.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ne Grant/X Ne Douglas/X Se Oknogan/Lincoln X Ne/Adams X Sw

When
December 8, 9:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Grant/X Ne Douglas/X Se Oknogan/Lincoln X Ne/Adams X Sw forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.610, -119.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ne Lincoln/Spokane X Extreme N Part

When
December 12, 9:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Lincoln/Spokane X Extreme N Part forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane

When
December 13, 9:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ne Okanogan/Ferry

When
December 24, 8:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Okanogan/Ferry forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.510, -119.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, W Okanogan/C&w Chelan

When
December 25, 2:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where
W Okanogan/C&w Chelan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Nc&s Okanogan X Extreme Se Part/Extreme N Douglas

When
December 26, 4:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
Nc&s Okanogan X Extreme Se Part/Extreme N Douglas forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.143, -119.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Douglas X Extreme W&n Parts/Nw Grant

When
December 27, 2:00 AM PST to December 28, 10:00 PM PST
Where
Douglas X Extreme W&n Parts/Nw Grant forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.471, -119.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, N Garfield & Ne Asotin

When
December 27, 5:00 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where
N Garfield & Ne Asotin forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds of 50-60 mph ripping through Pomeroy causing roof damage to several buildings and taking a garden shed down. Heavy rain also accompanied the wind.

Flash Flood, Whitman

When
December 27, 9:00 PM PST to December 28, 5:00 AM PST
Where
Whitman County, Pullman
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
46.901, -117.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rapid snowmelt and 2-4 inches of rain lead to flooding of small creeks and streams around Pullman. Portions of the WSU campus exerienced flooding, while several downtown businesses and city streets were indunated by a foot of water. Portions of Highway 195 were closed.

Flash Flood, Chelan

When
December 28, 9:00 AM PST to December 29, 5:00 PM PST
Where
Chelan County, Cashmere
Property damage
$80,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
47.869, -120.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An ice jam on Mission Creek in addition to rapid snow melt caused flooding from Cashmere to Entiat. Several basements of homes and structures were flooded, included a few downtown businesses in Cashmere. Portions of Highway 28 were closed. Douglas Creek also caused some minor flooding.

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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 Washington in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 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: 5674448, 5674449, 5674450, 5674451, 5674452, 5674453, 5674454, 5674540, 5674541, 5674542, 5674544, 5674543.