Flash Flooding and Hail in Washington, July 6, 2006

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Washington, July 6, 2006
Start: 2006-07-06T18:00
End: 2006-07-06T20:30
Location: Washington

July 6, 2006 · NWS OTX · 5 events in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms led to extensive hail damage, as well as flash flooding across Okanogan county. The apple crop was hit hardest, with damage also done to the pear and cherry crop.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: $4.9 million
Events: 5

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.

Severe thunderstorms led to extensive hail damage, as well as flash flooding across Okanogan county. The apple crop was hit hardest, with damage also done to the pear and cherry crop. In addition, reports of 1.15-1.45 inches of rainfall in one hour led to flash flooding near the towns of Loomis and Oroville. Mud and rock debris were observed at the junction of Loomis-Oroville Road and Horse Springs Coulee Road. Up to four inches of standing water was also observed in downtown Oroville.

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 Jul 6, 4:33 PM PST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 4:33 PM PST, 1 hour 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
533 PM PDT THU JUL 6 2006

.SYNOPSIS...A DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS WILL SPREAD WEST ACROSS
THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL END EARLY
ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST...WITH
DRY BUT BREEZY WEATHER EXPECTED AREAWIDE FRIDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
QUICK UPDATE TO DROP THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR
OKANOGAN...FERRY...STEVENS...PEND ORIELLE AND SPOKANE COUNTIES.
MUCH OF THE ENHANCED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS BEEN MOVING OFF TO
THE EAST FOR THE PAST FEW HOURS. THERE REMAINS VERY STRONG
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE...HOWEVER...THE REST OF
THE CWA HAS BEEN CLEARING OUT RATHER QUICKLY. SKY CONDITION AND
POPS ALSO WERE ADJUSTED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE ACTIVITY MOVING
EAST.

/LERICOS

&&

.AVIATION...THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY WILL PERSIST THROUGH 06Z..MAINLY
NORTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM KALW TO KOMK. AFTERWARD SKIES WILL
CLEAR. ELEVATED SURFACE WINDS WILL REMAIN A FACTOR FOR THE NEXT 24
HOURS AS A MARINE AIR MASS MOVES OVER THE CASCADES. EAST CASCADE
VALLEYS WILL SEE THE HIGHEST WIND SPEEDS...ALTHOUGH THE COLUMBIA
BASIN ALSO WILL SEE ELEVATED WIND CONDITIONS AL WELL. THIS MAY BRING
ABOUT CROSS-WIND CONDITIONS AT SOME TERMINALS IN THE AREA. OTHERWISE
VFR AFTER THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DIMINISHES. /LERICOS

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SPOKANE        54  80  56  89  56  91 /  20   0   0   0   0   0
COEUR DALENE  53  81  50  89  52  92 /  30   0   0   0   0   0
PULLMAN        50  79  51  88  52  90 /  30   0   0   0   0   0
LEWISTON       60  89  59  95  61 100 /  30   0   0   0   0   0
COLVILLE       51  83  48  91  50  93 /  20   0   0   0   0   0
SANDPOINT      54  77  50  85  50  89 /  40   0   0   0   0   0
KELLOGG        54  80  54  88  53  91 /  50   0   0   0   0   0
MOSES LAKE     56  86  55  93  57  95 /  10   0   0   0   0   0
WENATCHEE      59  85  58  92  61  94 /  10   0   0   0   0   0
OMAK           56  88  56  94  57  96 /  10   0   0   0   0   0

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM THURSDAY FOR NORTHERN
       PANHANDLE...COEUR DALENE AREA...IDAHO PALOUSE...CENTRAL
       PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS...LEWISTON AREA...LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ
       PERCE COUNTIES.
WA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8 PM THURSDAY FOR NORTHEAST BLUE
       MOUNTAINS...LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES...WASHINGTON
       PALOUSE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 6, 11:33 AM PST, 6 hours 27 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1233 PM PDT THU JUL 6 2006

IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-071300-
NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR DALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE-
CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-LEWISTON AREA-
LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES-NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-
LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES-WASHINGTON PALOUSE-
MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN-SPOKANE AREA-
NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-WENATCHEE AREA-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY-WATERVILLE PLATEAU-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SANDPOINT...RATHDRUM...BONNERS FERRY...
PRIEST RIVER...COEUR DALENE...POST FALLS...HAYDEN...MOSCOW...
ST. MARIES...KELLOGG...PINEHURST...OSBURN...WALLACE...MULLAN...
LEWISTON...KAMIAH...CRAIGMONT...NEZPERCE...WINCHESTER...ANATONE...
PEOLA...CLARKSTON...PULLMAN...MOSES LAKE...EPHRATA...OTHELLO...
QUINCY...RITZVILLE...COULEE DAM...ODESSA...ELECTRIC CITY...
WILBUR...GRAND COULEE...COULEE CITY...SPOKANE...COLVILLE...
DEER PARK...CHEWELAH...NEWPORT...KETTLE FALLS...REPUBLIC...
INCHELIUM...WENATCHEE...LEAVENWORTH...MAZAMA...TWISP...WINTHROP...
OMAK...OKANOGAN...BREWSTER...BRIDGEPORT...OROVILLE...WATERVILLE...
MANSFIELD
1233 PM PDT THU JUL 6 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH
IDAHO...NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST WASHINGTON AND
SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.

THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 588 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS
     EVENING.

PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION.
   SEAWCNOTX  /WWUS86 KOTX/

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED. PLEASE THIS IS AN OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE PRODUCTS FOR DETAILS.

THE THREAT OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECETED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 6, 12:24 PM PST, 5 hours 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
124 PM PDT THU JUL 06 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0117 PM     HAIL             4 SE SANTA              47.11N 116.38W
07/06/2006  E0.75 INCH       BENEWAH            ID   PUBLIC

            FERNWOOD, ID

&&

CR

The radar

The Spokane radar (KOTX), 195 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Okanogan

When: July 6, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Okanogan County, Loomis
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $2.5 million
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.817, -119.633

Hail, Okanogan

When: July 6, 6:15 PM PST
Where: Okanogan County, Oroville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $2.5 million
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.933, -119.433

Flash Flood, Okanogan

When: July 6, 8:00 PM PST to 8:30 PM PST
Where: Okanogan County, 2 mi W of Loomis
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 48.549, -119.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Okanogan

When: July 6, 8:00 PM PST to 8:30 PM PST
Where: Okanogan County, 1 mi N of Loomis
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 48.549, -119.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Okanogan

When: July 6, 8:00 PM PST to 8:30 PM PST
Where: Okanogan County, Oroville
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.549, -119.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Washington in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, July 2006

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: 5524280, 5524281, 5524282, 5524283, 5524284.