Flood in Washington, April 14, 2002

Name: Flood in Washington, April 14, 2002
Start: 2002-04-14T09:24
End: 2002-04-14T23:00
Location: Washington

April 14, 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 Grande Ronde River into flood.

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

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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 Grande Ronde River into flood. Nearby at Troy, Oregon, the river passed its flood stage of 10.0 feet, cresting at 10.44 feet at 530 PM PDT before falling back below flood stage.

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, 7:45 AM PST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 7:45 AM PST, 1 hour 39 minutes before

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

DRIER AND COOLER AIR HAS WORKED ITS WAY INTO THE REGION AFTER LAST
NIGHTS COLD FRONT PASSAGE. BASIN AND EAST SLOPE DEW POINTS IN THE MID
20S AND TEENS WITH THE DEW POINTS STARTING TO FALL FARTHER EAST.
STILL SOME SIGNIFICANT CLOUD COVER OVER THE PANHANDLE AND SOUTHEAST
WASHINGTON WHICH SHOULD GRADUALLY DECREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY EXCEPT
FOR THE MOUNTAINS. LAPSE RATES STEEPEN ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAIN
ZONES AND NORMALLY WOULD ANTICIPATE SHOWERS OR ISOLATED TSTMS. MODELS
SUGGEST IT IS TOO DRY TO DO TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF GENERATING SHOWERS
THIS AFTERNOON IN THE NORTH. WILL GO AHEAD AN LEAVE SHOWERS IN THERE.
WINDS AND DRY/STABLE CONDITIONS WILL KEEP SHOWER POTENTIAL TO A
MINIMUM. STILL RATHER WINDY ACROSS THE BASIN AND EXTREME ERN WA.
CURRENT WIND ADVISORY TO EXPIRE AROUND 11 AM. WILL ISSUE STATEMENT
THEN TO DROP THE ADVISORY.

MAIN TROUGH AXIS SWINGS THROUGH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY FOR A ROUND
OF SHOWERS AND CONTINUED COOL TEMPERATURES. TC

...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 053/031/049/030/050 21332
COE 056/031/049/030/050 21332
PUW 053/032/049/030/050 21332
LWS 060/038/055/036/056 2-222
CQV 059/033/053/032/054 33443
SPT 056/031/049/029/050 64553
WWP 053/029/047/026/048 64553
EAT 064/034/053/030/054 10112
MWH 065/033/055/030/056 10112

.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 WARNING 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, N Garfield & Ne Asotin

When: April 14, 9:24 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
Where: N Garfield & Ne Asotin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.312, -117.374 (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 Washington in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, 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: 5289696.