Flood in Idaho, April 14 to 16, 2002

Name: Flood in Idaho, April 14 to 16, 2002
Start: 2002-04-14T02:45
End: 2002-04-16T06:42
Location: Idaho

April 14 to 16, 2002 · NWS OTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Several days of warm weather, wind and rain caused rapid mid-elevation snowmelt. This pushed the Coeur D'Alene River at Cataldo above its flood stage of 43 feet on April 14.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 OTX wrote it up.

Several days of warm weather, wind and rain caused rapid mid-elevation snowmelt. This pushed the Coeur D'Alene River at Cataldo above its flood stage of 43 feet on April 14. The river crested at 46.51 feet at 245 AM PDT on the 15th before falling back below flood stage on the 16th. Sandbagging was necessary to keep water out of three homes near Cataldo.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 1:30 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 1:30 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
230 AM PDT SUN APR 14 2002

CONTINUE TO KEEP WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS MORNING AS FRONTAL PASSAGE
OCCURS AND MIXING BRINGS DOWN THE 30 TO 40 MPH WINDS CURRENTLY
MEASURED OVER THE AREA BY RADAR. SHOWER ACTIVITY DIMINISHING OVER THE
BASIN AND MAXING ITS WAY EASTWARD AND OUT OF THE AREA. WILL PROBABLY
LINGER IN SOME DEGREE OR ANOTHER OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH THE MOST
INTENSE AND GREATEST AREAL COVERAGE TO OCCUR THIS MORNING OVER THE
NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND IDAHO PANHANDLE. WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORM MENTIONED WITH TROF PASSAGE AND COLD AIR POOL ALOFT
MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT FOR PARTS OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN
IDAHO AS WELL. TODAY HAS THE MOST GOING ON WITH RIVER ISSUES IN IDAHO
AND EASTERN WASHINGTON AS WELL AS THE WIND...THEN POSSIBLY MONDAY AND
MONDAY NIGHT WITH THE MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE REMAINDER OF THE
TIME IN THE SHORT TERM FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY WILL FAVOR THE BEST
CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER MOUNTAINS WITH THE SOUTHWEST FLOW AND TO
MINIMIZE THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE BASIN AND FARTHER AWAY
FROM THE RAIN SHADOW OF THE CASCADES.

.EXTENDED (WED-SAT)...NO CHANGES PLANNED ATTM, GENERALLY FOLLOWING
THE AVN/MRF TIMING OF LONGWAVE FEATURES. UPPER TROF STILL FCST TO
REMAIN OVR THE PAC NW WED FOR SHOWERY PRECIP CHANCE...ESPECIALLY IN
THE MTNS. UPPER RIDGE AXIS MOVES INSIDE 130W BEGINNING THURS AND INTO
FRI FOR A DRY FCST AND WARMING TREND. HT FALLS ALONG THE NRN EXTENT
OF THE RIDGE BEGIN SAT IN RESPONSE TO FRONTAL BAND MOVING SEWD THRU
BC. WL KEEP MENTION OF THE CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIP WITH THIS WAVE SAT.

...THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRODUCT CONCERNING WARNINGS AND FORECASTS
IS VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE. THE LATEST WARNING AND
FORECAST INFORMATION WILL BE FOUND IN THE APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS...

GEG 058/031/049/030/050 2-332
COE 056/031/049/030/050 21332
PUW 057/032/049/030/050 2-332
LWS 066/038/055/036/056 2-222
CQV 059/033/053/032/054 83443
SPT 056/031/049/029/050 84553
WWP 053/029/047/026/048 84553
EAT 064/034/053/030/054 1-112
MWH 065/033/055/030/056 1-112

.OTX...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR WASHINGTON ZONES 33-36 AND 44...IDAHO
       ZONES 2 AND 3. FLOOD WARNING FOR COEUR DALENE RIVER BELOW
       CATALDO. FLOOD WATCH FOR ST. JOE RIVER NEAR ST. MARIES. SMALL
       STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR KOOTENAI AND SHOSHONE COUNTIES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Central Panhandle Mountains

When: April 14, 2:45 AM PST to April 16, 6:42 AM PST
Where: Central Panhandle Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.265, -116.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Idaho in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, April 2002

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: 5289693.