Following a very wet April and May, warmer June temperatures began to melt an above normal mountain snowpack increasing flows into already swollen river basins. This caused moderate flooding along the Pend Oreille River and several of its tributaries.
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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.
Following a very wet April and May, warmer June temperatures began to melt an above normal mountain snowpack increasing flows into already swollen river basins. This caused moderate flooding along the Pend Oreille River and several of its tributaries. Agriculture fields, recreation sites, roadways, as well as homes were impacted by the flooded river. The most severe flooding along the Pend Oreille River occurred between Albeni Falls and Box Canyon Dams. Flooding through the first week of July began on June 7th.
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 30, 9:25 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 1025 PM PDT THU JUN 30 2011 .SYNOPSIS...MAINLY DRY AND SUNNY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TO NEAR NORMAL READINGS...FOLLOWED BY A MINOR COOL DOWN ON SUNDAY AS A DRY COOL FRONT SWEEPS THOUGH WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS. A WARMING TREND WILL RETURN ON MONDAY AND LAST THROUGH NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...EVENING UPDATE TO REMOVE EVENING MENTION OF SHOWERS AS RADAR AND SATELLITE SHOW THE ACTIVITY HAS DIMINISHED. WINDS ARE ON THE DECREASE AS WELL BUT NOT ENOUGH TO REMOVE EVENING GUST MENTION JUST YET...OTHERWISE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES MADE. /PELATTI && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AVIATION AREA WILL KEEP VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUING INTO 06Z SATURDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 46 72 48 81 55 77 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 COEUR D'ALENE 46 73 47 79 53 75 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 PULLMAN 44 70 47 81 52 76 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEWISTON 51 76 53 89 59 86 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 COLVILLE 44 75 47 85 52 81 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 SANDPOINT 43 72 43 78 48 77 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 KELLOGG 43 72 45 79 50 78 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 MOSES LAKE 49 75 50 87 55 83 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 WENATCHEE 52 79 53 86 57 82 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 OMAK 45 78 47 86 51 81 / 0 0 0 0 0 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...NONE. WA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 555 AM PDT THU JUN 30 2011 IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-011300- 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- 555 AM PDT THU JUN 30 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 NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Bead Lake flooded its banks and water inundating a few basements of lakeside homes. The exact number of homes impacted was unknown at the time and damage costs were estimated.
Diamond Lake flooded its banks and water inundating a few basements of lakeside homes and private roads. The exact number of homes impacted was unknown at the time and damage costs were estimated.
Widespread flooding was observed along the Pend Oreille River through the first week of July 2011 impacting the communities of Newport, Dalkena, Usk, Cusick, Ruby, Blueslide, Lost Creek, Ione, and Metaline Falls. Some of the worst flooding was noted along the following roads: Alaska Way, Davis Road, McCloud Creek, Deeter Road, Riverbend Loop, Sandy Shores, Yergens, Le Clerc Road, Pow Wow Park Road, Dike Road, Needles Road, and Main Street in Metaline Falls; four private roads including Beehive Lane, Bear Paw Drive, Echo Lane, and Hawk Lane were also flooded. Numerous homes along these roads suffered flooding with as much as two to three feet of water in their basements and significant damage to docks, sheds, and other outbuildings. The town of Metaline was forced to bypass sewage treatment and allow its storm drains to flow directly into Pend Oreille River. The flooding had enormous impacts on recreation with many boaters avoiding the river due to a no-wake restriction in place. Additionally, the Kalispels' 37th Powwow and 4th of July celebration were cancelled due to the flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, July 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: 328923, 328928, 328936.