A wet spring season resulted in saturated soils across the Inland Northwest. Rivers, small streams, and creeks began to rise as temperatures warmed on May 13th and 14th as snowmelt infiltrated many watersheds across the Central Panhandle.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A wet spring season resulted in saturated soils across the Inland Northwest. Rivers, small streams, and creeks began to rise as temperatures warmed on May 13th and 14th as snowmelt infiltrated many watersheds across the Central Panhandle. Warm and dry weather transitioned to cooler but considerably wetter conditions over the weekend on May 15th into early the next week. An upper level low pumped a considerable amount of moisture into the region with an extended period of heavy rain falling Sunday into Monday. Forty-eight hour rainfall totals were up to between three-quarters and one inch for many locations across the Coeur d'Alene Area and the Central Panhandle Mountains.
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 May 15, 4:15 AM PST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 515 AM PDT SUN MAY 15 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A VERY WET PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN TO THE INLAND NORTHWEST THROUGH MONDAY. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM ALONG WITH RECENT WARMER TEMPERATURES AND MELTING SNOW WILL CONTRIBUTE TO RIVER FLOODING AS WELL THROUGH MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN AND CASCADES THIS SATURDAY EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THERE WILL BE A SLOW WARMING TREND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK WITH MAINLY A FEW AFTERNOON AND EVENING MOUNTAIN SHOWERS. && .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...THE DEEP AND COOL UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE WEATHER PRODUCER THROUGH HE SHORT TERM. SATELLITE LOOPS ARE SHOWING THE TROUGH TAKING ON A NEGATIVE TILT MUCH AS THE MODEL HAD PREDICTED. A SOUTH-SOUTHEAST UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS ADVECTING LARGE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION...WITH THE GARDEN HOSE POINTED SQUARELY AT THE CASCADES. A STRONG SHORTWAVE IS ROUNDING THE BOTTOM OF THE TROUGH AND AS THAT WAVE TRACKS FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST IT WILL BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE INLAND NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THIS WILL SLOWLY BACK THE FLOW FROM SOUTH-SOUTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND SHIFT THE FIRE HOSE FROM THE CASCADES TO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND THE PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS. CURRENTLY THERE IS A VERY EVIDENT PRECIPITATION LINE FROM NEAR LUCERNE SOUTHEAST TO ABOUT WALLA WALLA. SOUTHWEST OF THIS LINE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS SINCE SATURDAY MORNING RANGE FROM AROUND A HALF INCH IN THE BASIN TO AROUND ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES FOR THE CASCADES...WITH LITTLE TO NOTHING NORTHWEST OF THIS LINE. THAT WILL CHANGE. WE EXPECT THE CASCADES TO PICK UP ANOTHER QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN IF NOT MORE AS THE FLOW BEGINS TO CHANGE. BY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY THE NORTHERN AND PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS COULD GET A HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF RAIN. AS A PREVIOUS DISCUSSION INDICATED EXPECT A COUPLE OF VERY SOGGY DAYS FOR THE REGION. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST WILL COOL BY 5 DEGREES OR SO...BUT ACROSS THE EAST AND NORTHEAST ZONES TEMPERATURES COULD FALL BY 15-20 DEGREES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. IN ADDITION EXPECT BREEZY EASTERLY WINDS THIS MORNING...SLOWLY SUBSIDING THROUGH HE AFTERNOON. AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE ALREADY RUNNING VERY HIGH. SEVERAL FLOOD WARNINGS AND WATCHES AND ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED AND WITH MORE RAIN EXPECT THIS TO INCREASE. /TOBIN MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS THE UPPER LOW THAT HAS PLAGUED THE REGION STARTS TO FILL AND SHEAR APART. SHOWERS WILL BE SCATTERED AND DRIVEN MAINLY BY AFTERNOON INSTABILITY AND OROGRAPHIC FLOW. THE ENERGY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW WILL SPLIT...WITH ONE LOBE OF ENERGY SHIFTING NORTH INTO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. THE REMAINING ENERGY WILL DROP SOUTHEAST TO THE GREAT BASIN. THE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES TUESDAY NIGHT...THEN SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST AS MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND THE GREAT BASIN LOW. THE SYSTEM WILL LOSE ITS TAP INTO PACIFIC MOISTURE SO RAINFALL SHOULD BE LIGHT. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE IN THE VICINITY OF ANY CONVECTIVE SHOWERS THAT DEVELOP. TEMPERATURES WILL START A SLOW WARMING TREND BUT STAY ON THE COOL SIDE OF CLIMO THROUGH MID WEEK. THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO DRIFT TO THE EAST IN AN ATTEMPT TO UNDERCUT THE BLOCKING HIGH PRESSURE IN THE MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM TO SEASONAL NORMALS AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THE WEEKEND WEATHER IS A BIT LESS CERTAIN AS MODELS DISAGREE ON WHETHER THE NEXT PACIFIC TROUGH WILL BE ABLE TO ADVANCE TO THE COAST OR REMAIN OFFSHORE THROUGH SATURDAY. /KELCH && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS...MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND A DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED MODERATE RAIN TO THE BASIN AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES TODAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE SOUTHWEST AND WILL SHIFT THE FOCUS OF THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION TO NORTHERN ZONES AND FINALLY THE NORTHEAST ZONES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. CONDITIONS MAINLY VFR WITH CIGS AOB BKN-OVC100. CIGS/VSBY AT KMWH...KEAT MAY DROP TO MVFR AT TIMES WITH THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING. AS THE HEAVIER PRECIPITATION CIGS/VSBY MAY DROP TO MVFR AFTER 02Z. GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR EASTERN TAF SITES THROUGH 18-19Z BEFORE SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHWEST AND WEAKENING BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. /TOBIN && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 55 40 53 36 58 38 / 90 100 80 40 20 20 COEUR D'ALENE 59 41 52 35 58 37 / 90 100 90 40 20 20 PULLMAN 55 40 53 35 57 38 / 100 100 70 20 30 30 LEWISTON 59 43 59 40 62 42 / 100 100 60 20 30 30 COLVILLE 64 43 56 37 62 39 / 80 100 100 60 30 30 SANDPOINT 65 40 51 36 57 36 / 60 100 100 50 30 30 KELLOGG 62 37 49 35 54 37 / 90 100 100 40 40 40 MOSES LAKE 60 39 62 36 64 38 / 100 70 30 20 20 20 WENATCHEE 59 42 61 40 62 42 / 100 70 20 20 20 20 OMAK 62 40 60 37 63 37 / 90 100 70 40 30 20 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...NONE. WA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 543 AM PDT SUN MAY 15 2011 IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-161245- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR D'ALENE 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- 543 AM PDT SUN MAY 15 2011 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 RAPID MOUNTAIN SNOW MELT AND MODERATE RAIN WILL BRING INCREASING AMOUNTS OF WATER INTO MANY RIVER SYSTEMS. PLEASE REFERENCE CURRENT FLOOD WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. THE COMBINATION OF RAIN AND MELTING SNOW WILL HEIGHTEN THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING IN THE MOUNTAINOUS ZONES OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO. RIVERS WILL LIKELY RUN HIGH THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A man became stranded as the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River flooded Sunday morning. The camper and his trailer had to be pulled out 1,000 feet through 3 1/2 feet of water by a tow truck. Property damage was estimated.
Eastbound lanes of Highway 4 were flooded between Gem Hill and Frisco Roads at mile post 5. Roadway was reduced to one lane.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, May 2011
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: 301572, 301579.