Flooding in Washington, February 1, 2003

Name: Flooding in Washington, February 1, 2003
Start: 2003-02-01T00:00
End: 2003-02-01T03:15
Location: Washington

February 1, 2003 · NWS PDT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

1 feet, began flooding at 1:45 PM on January 31st. 7 feet on January 31st, and receded to below flood stage at 3:15 AM on February 1st.

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: $3,000
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 PDT wrote it up.

The Yakima River at Easton, with a flood stage of 51.1 feet, began flooding at 1:45 PM on January 31st. The river peaked at 51.7 feet on January 31st, and receded to below flood stage at 3:15 AM on February 1st. Minor flooding occurred in West Ellensburg and the Elk Meadows development west of Cle Elum. Water went under a few homes, and also into a bedroom which was located in a garage. Erosion to roads, shoulders, and driveways occurred in the Elk Meadows area.

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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 7:40 PM PST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 7:40 PM PST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
740 PM PST FRI JAN 31 2003

CONCERN WILL BE WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS TONIGHT INTO THE WEEKEND ALONG
WITH POTENTIAL RIVER FLOODING.

A COLD FRONT STRETCHES FROM ABOUT BEND TO LAGRANDE TO ENTERPRISE
OREGON AT 03Z AND WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTHEAST AND STRETCH FROM
KLAMATH FALLS TO BURNS TO NORTH OF ONTARIO OREGON BY 12Z. COOLER AND
DRIER AIR PUSHING INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON.  RAIN HAS
ENDED ACROSS THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES AND THE
WESTERN EDGE OF RAIN WILL PROCEED TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BY SUNRISE.
SOME AREAS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS WILL GET AN ADDITIONAL 1/2 TO 1
INCH OF MOISTURE WHICH WILL KEEP STREAMS AND RIVERS NEAR OR ABOVE
FLOOD STAGE. DRIER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE BLUES FOR LATE SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY AHEAD OF NEXT SYSTEM FOR SUNDAY NIGHT.

HULL

PDT +523  ALW +523  PSC 7322  YKM 3322

.KPDT...SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING FOR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND THE
        FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS (ORC021-ORC049-ORC059-WAC013
        AND WAC071).
     ...SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR KLICKITAT...KITTITAS AND
        YAKIMA COUNTIES OF WASHINGTON (WAC037-WAC039-WAC077).
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE...NACHES RIVER FROM NACHES TO YAKIMA
        (WAC077).
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE KLICKITAT RIVER NEAR PITT.
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE YAKIMA RIVER NEAR EASTON AND PARKER.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 31, 5:08 AM PST, 18 hours 52 minutes before

ORZ041>050-WAZ024>030-011300-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
500 AM PST FRI JAN 31 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

A MOIST WEATHER SYSTEM MOVING FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE RAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT.
RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE TO RAISE LEVELS ON RIVERS AND NUMEROUS SMALL
STREAMS AND CREEKS. MAIN STEM RIVERS ARE NEAR BANKFULL AND SOME
FLOODING IS EXPECTED NEAR SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. SEE THE SMALL
STREAM FLOOD WARNING (PDXFLWPDT) FOR THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS FOR MORE INFORMATION.  MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG
THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES AS WELL...SEE THE SMALL
STREAM ADVISORY (PDXFLSPDT) FOR MORE INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

FLOODING OF SOME LOWLAND AREAS ALONG CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE POSSIBLE
THROUGH SATURDAY. AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS JUST TO THE WEST OF THE
AREA...PRECIPITATION CHANCES SHOULD DIMINISH. BUT ANOTHER STORM
SYSTEM WILL RACE ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY AND THEN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY
WHICH SHOULD INCREASE PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR THE REGION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, W Kittitas/W Yakima/W Klickitat T X Sw

When: February 1, 12:00 AM PST to 3:15 AM PST
Where: W Kittitas/W Yakima/W Klickitat T X Sw forecast zone
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Flood, E Kittitas

When: February 1, 12:00 AM PST to 3:15 AM PST
Where: E Kittitas forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.791, -120.709 (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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, February 2003

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: 5340262, 5340263.