Washington, 1998

Flooding in Washington, November 26, 1998

November 26, 1998 · NWS SEW · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rain led to flooding on the Chehalis, Skokomish, Deschutes, Puyallup and Snoqualmie Rivers. 82 inches.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 SEW wrote it up.

Heavy rain led to flooding on the Chehalis, Skokomish, Deschutes, Puyallup and Snoqualmie Rivers. In Olympia, 24 hour rainfall ending at 5pm on the 25th was 3.06 ( a record), and on the 26th it was 2.82 inches. The Chehalis crested 4.7 ft above flood stage, flooding homes and some businesses. Roads were flooded and some cars ended up submerged. For the month of November, Shelton had more than 20 inches of rainfall, and Sea-Tac had 11.37 inches which broke the old Nov record of 10.71 inches.

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, West Slopes Central Cascades and Passes

When
November 26, 12:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
West Slopes Central Cascades and Passes forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Flood, Southwest Interior

When
November 26, 12:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Southwest Interior forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Flood, Southwest Interior

When
November 26, 12:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Southwest Interior forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

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

More

Every storm in Washington in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 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: 5677250, 5677251, 5677252.