Flood in Washington, February 1 to 2, 2003

Name: Flood in Washington, February 1 to 2, 2003
Start: 2003-02-01T13:30
End: 2003-02-02T02:00
Location: Washington

February 1 to 2, 2003 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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 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 Feb 1, 9:20 AM PST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 9:20 AM PST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
920 AM PST SAT FEB 1 2003

UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTHEAST INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
AS A RESULT THE COLD FRONT AND ATTENDANT BAND OF PRECIP CONTINUES TO
SHIFT SOUTH AND EAST...WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PRECIP OVER OUR
EASTERN MOST ZONES. SNOW LEVEL HAS LOWERED TO AROUND 3500 FEET...AND
IT SHOULD RAISE A LITTLE THIS AFTERNOON THOUGH NOT MUCH OVER 4000
FEET. WITH THE LOWERING OF THE SNOW LEVEL AND CONTINUED DECREASE IN
PRECIPITATION...MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS HAVE CRESTED AND ARE NOW
BEGINNING TO RECEDE. WILL END THE SMALL STREAM WARNINGS FOR MORROW
AND GILLIAM COUNTIES IN OREGON...BUT ALL OTHER WARNINGS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY. THE YAKIMA RIVER/S CREST WILL MOVE
DOWNSTREAM WITH THE UPPER END NOW BEGINNING TO RECEDE...BUT THE
LOWEST REACHES SHOULD BEGIN TO SEE SIGNIFICANT RISES...CRESTING
SUNDAY. WILL MAKE SOME UPDATES THIS MORNING TO LOWER OR REMOVE
PRECIP COVERAGE. GKH

PDT 200  ALW 200  PSC 000 YKM 000

.KPDT...SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING FOR UMATILLA COUNTY OREGON AND
        WALLA WALLA AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES IN WASHINGTON.
     ...SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING FOR KLICKITAT...KITTITAS AND
        YAKIMA COUNTIES OF WASHINGTON.
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE NACHES RIVER FROM NACHES TO YAKIMA.
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE KLICKITAT RIVER NEAR PITT.
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE YAKIMA RIVER FROM EASTON TO KIONA.

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 1, 5:13 AM PST, 8 hours 17 minutes before

ORZ041>050-WAZ024>030-021300-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
500 AM PST SAT FEB 1 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 WILL CONTINUE FOR ONE MORE DAY PRODUCING
VALLEY RAIN SHOWERS ALONG WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS.
NUMEROUS MAIN STEM RIVERS AND STREAMS HAVE REACHED FLOOD STAGE
ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND NORTHEAST OREGON. ADDITIONAL
RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY 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.  ALSO FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG THE
EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES AS WELL...SEE THE FLOOD
WARNING (PDXFLWPDT) FOR MORE INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING DRY CONDITIONS SUNDAY AND WATER IN RIVERS
AND STREAMS SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL RACE
ACROSS THE AREA EARLY MONDAY INCREASING RAIN AND SNOW CHANCES. BUT
AFTER THIS THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK SHOULD REMAIN PRECIPITATION
FREE.

.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

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, N Columbia/Se Walla Walla T X Se

When: February 1, 1:30 PM PST to February 2, 2:00 AM PST
Where: N Columbia/Se Walla Walla T X Se forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Walla Walla river near Touchet, with a flood stage of 15.0 feet, began flooding at 1:30 PM. The river peaked at 15.9 feet on 7:00 PM, and then receded to below flood stage at 2:00 AM on February 2nd. Minor field flooding occurred near the river, along with a log jam near a railroad bridge.

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: 5341356.