The combination of an unstable atmosphere and converging wind boundaries over Lincoln County spawned four tornadoes, as well as large hail and flash flooding. This activity spread into northern Whitman County as well.
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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.
The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
The combination of an unstable atmosphere and converging wind boundaries over Lincoln County spawned four tornadoes, as well as large hail and flash flooding. This activity spread into northern Whitman County as well. The tornadoes were observed in a 25 minute period between Wilbur and Creston near Highway 2. All four tornadoes were non-supercell tornadoes and rated EF0. All four tornadoes remained over wheat fields and thus resulted in no property damage. Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm produced quarter sized hail three miles west-southwest of Sprague. Heavy rain also fell with the storms over Lincoln and northern Whitman County. On Highway 23, about five miles northwest of Sprague, water covered portions of the highway between mile posts 48 and 53. In northern Whitman County, mud and debris washed onto roads near Ewen, Colfax, and St. John.
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 Jun 6, 1:29 PM PST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 229 PM PDT SAT JUN 6 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A WEATHER PATTERN MORE TYPICAL OF LATE SPRING WILL DOMINATE THE INLAND NORTHWEST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE WORK WEEK. DISTURBANCES TRACKING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH COMBINED WITH A PUSH OF COOLER AIR FROM SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL USHER IN THE UNSETTLED WEATHER. SEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS WITH OCCASIONAL WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...A MID-LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN CENTERED NEAR THE ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN BORDER...KEEPING THE INLAND NW UNDER A RELATIVELY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE AND NORTH TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW. THE IMPULSE ROUNDING THE TROUGH THIS EVENING WILL PIVOT SOUTH AND EAST...AND WEAK SUBSIDENCE MOVES IN OVERNIGHT. THE SHOWER THREAT WILL RETREAT TO MAINLY THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF THE CWA AND WANE...BUT GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A MIXTURE OF MIX AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE SPILLING THROUGH. SO SKIES WILL REMAIN PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY TONIGHT. ANOTHER WAVE PIVOTS AROUND THE TROUGH SUNDAY...APPROACHING THE NORTHERN CWA...WITH INCREASING MOISTURE WORKING WITH AFTERNOON INSTABILITY. THIS WILL BRING A RENEWED RISK FOR SHOWERS TO THE CASCADES THROUGH NORTHERN PANHANDLE...WITH AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER. THE SOUTHEAST CWA WILL ALSO FIND A RISK FOR SHOWERS AGAIN...DUE TO LINGERING MOISTURE AND NWLY FLOW. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY UNDER NORMAL. /JCOTE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...THE FORECAST AREA WILL REMAIN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE EXPANSIVE AND SLUGGISH MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT WILL INITIALLY STRADDLE THE ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN/NWRN MT BORDER REGION SUN NIGHT BEFORE IT ELONGATES AND SINKS SEWD BY TUESDAY. EMBEDDED SHORT- WAVES/ASSOCIATED VORT LOBES PINWHEELING AROUND THIS UNUSUALLY LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE KEY PLAYERS ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL A FAIR DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY WITH RESPECT TO HOW FAR WEST AND SOUTH THESE FEATURES WILL EVENTUALLY PIVOT AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE LOW. GENERALLY KEPT WITH A RATHER BROADBRUSH APPROACH TO THE POP/WX GRIDS...BUT PER PREVIOUS FORECAST TRENDS FAVORED THE NORTHEAST WA MOUNTAINS AND ID PANHANDLE WHICH WILL BE IN CLOSER PROXMITY TO ANY LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR LIFT ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO COMPLETELY RULE OUT POPS EVEN ACROSS THE UPPER BASIN. ON MONDAY...WE MAY NEED TO EXPAND THE MENTION OF SHRA/TSRA ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES. THIS REGION WILL BE IN A FAVORABLE POSTIION RELATIVE TO A CYCLONICALLY CURVED UPPER LEVEL JET WHOSE AXIS WILL BE ORIETNED NW-SE ACROSS THE AREA. MID-LEVEL WARMING PROGGED ACROSS WESTERN AREAS ON TUESDAY SHOULD LIMIT OVER CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL COMPARED TO MONDAY...BUT STEEP 850-500 MB LAPSE RATES REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS A MAJORITY AREA AND THAT COMBINED WITH FAVORABLE NWLY UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD FAVOR THE BLUES AND CENTRAL IDAHO PANHANDLE FOR CONVECTION ON TUESDAY. A SLOW DAY TO DAY WARMING TREND INDICATED...WITH TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO SEASONAL BY TUESDAY. /JONES TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN FOR NEXT WEEK IS ACTUALLY QUITE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. AFTER THE COLD UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER OUR AREA KICKS OUT ON TUESDAY WE RETURN TO A WEAK WESTERN U.S. TROUGH AND WEAK RIDGING OVER WESTERN CANADA...LEAVING THE PAC NW IS VERY WEAK SPLIT FLOW. INSTABILITY INITIALLY IS FAIRLY LIMITED ON WEDNESDAY. BUT AS TEMPERATURES WARM A LITTLE EACH DAY THE INSTABILITY OVER THE MOUNTAINS INCREASES. THIS SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS /INCLUDING THE CASCADES/ DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. UNDER SUCH A WEAK FLOW PATTERN THERE WILL BE VERY LITTLE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR TO WORK WITH. AS SUCH THE MAJORITY OF THIS CONVECTION SHOULD NOT BE SEVERE. BY THE END OF THE WEEK THE MODELS IN GENERAL AGREE ON TAKING A WEAK WAVE FROM THE PACIFIC AND DROPPING IT INTO THE WESTERN US TROUGH. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE WEATHER PATTERN EARLIER THIS WEEK WHERE A CLOSED LOW SAT OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST FOR 3 DAYS BRINGING CONSIDERABLE CONVECTION TO THE SOUTH OF OUR FORECAST AREA. THERE IS ONE BIG DIFFERENCE THOUGH. THIS PAST WEEK THERE WAS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER WESTERN CANADA WHICH BROUGHT DRY NORTHEASTERLY WINDS TO OUR AREA FOR 3 DAYS. THIS SQUELCHED ANY CHANCE FOR CONVECTION EXCEPT IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN ZONES /I.E. LEWISTON AREA/. BUT IN THE UPCOMING FORECAST THE LOW LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENT IS MUCH DIFFERENT SO THERE DOESNT APPEAR TO BE MUCH CHANCE OF A REPEAT OF THE STRONG DRY NORTHEASTERLY FLOW. AS SUCH WE LOOK TO BE IN A MUCH MORE FAVORABLE PATTERN FOR CONVECTION. ULTIMATELY THE AMOUNT OF CONVECTION WILL LIKELY DEPEND ON JUST HOW MUCH THE PACIFIC WAVE DIGS INTO THE WESTERN U.S. TROUGH. IF IT DIGS MORE THAN THE CURRENT MODEL FORECAST WE COULD GET SKUNKED. MODEL WIND SHEAR STILL ISNT VERY IMPRESSIVE FOR THE END OF THE WEEK BUT THE MODELS DO SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR A MINOR SHORT WAVE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WHICH WOULD HELP TO ORGANIZE THE CONVECTION AND LEAD TO A BETTER CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. RJ && .AVIATION... PRIMARILY VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL REMAIN A THREAT OVER PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN TAF SITES...FROM KEAT TO KLWS. COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE KPUW/KLWS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND LCL MVFR CIGS ARE POSSIBLE. MORE WIDELY SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL BE FOUND OVER THE NORTHEAST TAF SITES. MOST AREAS WILL SEE AT LEAST A RISK FOR THUNDER...THOUGH THE CHANCE THAT ONE THUNDERSTORM CELL WILL CROSS AT TAF SITE IS SLIGHT. PRECIPITATION WINDS DOWN TONIGHT...WITH A CONTINUED MIX OF MID AND HIGH CLOUDS. LOOK FOR BREEZY CONDITIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON...DECREASING INTO THIS EVENING. /JCOTE && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 44 68 43 72 49 74 / 20 20 20 20 20 20 COEUR DALENE 41 65 42 69 47 73 / 20 20 30 20 30 30 PULLMAN 39 67 43 69 44 73 / 30 20 20 20 20 20 LEWISTON 46 74 50 75 52 79 / 40 20 20 20 20 20 COLVILLE 41 70 41 74 45 77 / 10 20 30 30 30 20 SANDPOINT 38 63 39 67 43 71 / 10 20 30 30 30 30 KELLOGG 38 63 42 67 46 71 / 40 20 30 30 40 40 MOSES LAKE 48 74 48 78 52 82 / 20 10 10 10 10 10 WENATCHEE 52 73 54 77 56 82 / 20 10 0 10 10 10 OMAK 46 74 46 77 49 81 / 10 10 10 10 10 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...NONE. WA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 553 AM PDT SAT JUN 6 2009 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- 553 AM PDT SAT JUN 6 2009 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. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Spokane radar (KOTX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:47 UTC.
4 tornado, 4 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
An EF0 tornado was observed two miles south of Highway 2 between Creston and Wilbur. This was one of four tornadoes that occurred within a 25 minute period. This tornado tracked west-northwest and stayed just south of Ramsey Road.
An EF0 tornado formed two miles south of Highway 2 between Creston and Wilbur, then tracked northwest before dissipating less than a mile from Highway 2. This tornado was one of four tornadoes observed in a 25 minute period in the area.
An EF0 tornado formed two miles south of Highway 2 between Wilbur and Creston. This tornado tracked west before dissipating. This was one of four tornadoes that occurred within a 25 minute period in the area.
An EF0 tornado formed two miles south of Highway 2 between Creston and Wilbur. This tornado tracked to the west-southwest before dissipating. This was one of four tornadoes that occurred within a 25 minute period.
Mud and debris was observed flowing over Highway 23. In addition, water was observed over the road at Rock Lake Road and Glorfield Road.
Water and mud was observed over North Palouse Road near the Golf Course.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Washington, 2009Warnings in Washington, June 2009
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: 164249, 164252, 164254, 164255, 168946, 168969, 168945, 168960, 168965.