An upper level low situated across southern Alberta, Canada resulted in numerous convective showers across the northeast mountains of Washington. A few of these showers contained embedded thunderstorms with periods of heavy rain mixed with pea to penny sized hail.
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.
An upper level low situated across southern Alberta, Canada resulted in numerous convective showers across the northeast mountains of Washington. A few of these showers contained embedded thunderstorms with periods of heavy rain mixed with pea to penny sized hail.
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 2, 1:51 PM PST, 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 251 PM PDT THU JUN 2 2011 .SYNOPSIS... RAIN AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL LINGER OVER THE IDAHO PANHANDLE TONIGHT AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. A DRYING AND WARMING TREND IS STILL EXPECTED FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. SUNDAY AND MONDAY HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF BEING WARMER THAN NORMAL. COOLER AND SHOWERY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN BY NEXT TUESDAY AS ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST. && .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT...THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS BEGINNING TO LIFT AND MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST...BUT THE IDAHO PANHANDLE WILL BE UNDER A BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. IT HAS BEEN TOUGH TO FIND AND TRACK ALL OF THE VORTICITY CENTERS WITHIN THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AS OF 2PM...THERE WAS ONE DISTINCT VORTICITY CENTER ENTERING CENTRAL MONTANA....AND ANOTHER MORE SUBTLE CIRCULATION OVER THE NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON. THE COMBINATION OF DEFORMATION WITH THIS NORTHEAST OREGON CIRCULATION...AND INCREASING WESTERLY UP-SLOPE INTO THE PANHANDLE...WILL PRODUCE PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OVER MOST OF THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS WILL LIKELY OCCUR OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF SHOSHONE COUNTY WHERE AMOUNTS AS HIGH AS A HALF INCH COULD OCCUR TONIGHT. THIS RAIN COMBINED WITH THE RAIN THAT HAS FALLEN THIS AFTERNOON...WILL PRODUCE RISES ON THE ST JOE AND ST MARIES RIVERS. THE 18Z RUN OF THE NAM HAS TRENDED DOWN WITH ITS PRECIPITATION FORECAST COMPARED TO THE 12Z RUN...WHICH IS GOOD NEWS. AND IT APPEARS THAT RADAR TRENDS FAVOR THE MORE MODEST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS OF THE 18Z NAM AND LATEST SHREF. THE UNUSUALLY LOW SNOW LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL ALSO BE A BLESSING FOR THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE...AS FAR AS RUNOFF GOES. HOWEVER...MOTORISTS MAY BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME MINOR SLUSHY ACCUMULATIONS ON LOOKOUT PASS TONIGHT. FRIDAY...MUCH DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY...AS THE UPPER LOW RESPONSIBLE FOR TODAYS RAIN SHEARS INTO THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE WELL BELOW AVERAGE...BUT AT LEAST THE WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. /GKOCH SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...THE CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF THE COAST WILL DEEPEN AND DIVE TO OFF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. THIS WILL ALLOW RIDGING TO BUILD IN ACROSS IDAHO AND INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON. WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL FINALLY MAKE THEIR WAY BACK INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST. THE GFS MODEL SHOWS 850 MB TEMPS PEAKING IN GENERAL ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY. THESE VALUES RANGE FROM 17 TO 20 DEG C. THE ECMFW MODEL SHOWS SLIGHTLY HIGHER TEMPS ACROSS THE PANHANDLE...BUT THESE TWO MODELS GENERALLY AGREE FOR THE MOST PART. ON SUNDAY...WE COULD SEE VALLEY TEMPS IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S FOR MOST LOCATIONS. /SVH MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...A WARM AND UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY COOL AND UNSETTLED FOR THE INLAND NW AS AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH REMAINS DOMINATE OVER THE WESTERN CONUS AND A PAIR OF STRONG LOWS DROP INTO THE LOW. SURPRISINGLY... MODELS ARE IN REMARKABLE AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TWO LOWS. THE FIRST LOW LIFTS FROM NORTHERN CA TO WESTERN MT MONDAY-TUESDAY WHILE A SECOND LOW DROPS INTO WESTERN WA TUE AFTERNOON...SWINGING AROUND TO THE E/SE INTO NORTHERN OREGON AND EASTERN WA ON WEDNESDAY. THE LOW THEN MEANDERS OVER THE INLAND NW INTO THE END OF THE WEEK WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY EXACTLY WHEN IT WILL DEPART. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST PROMINENT OVER THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AND FAR EASTERN REACHES OF WASHINGTON ON MONDAY WITH COVERAGE MORE ISOLATED FOR THE CASCADES AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON. THIS WILL MEAN THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER TENTH TO HALF INCH OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED LOCATIONS POTENTIALLY RECEIVING OVER AN INCH ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM WALLA WALLA TO SANDPOINT. COOLER AIR WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY AS THE NEXT POLAR LOW DROPS INTO THE LONGWAVE TROUGH. THIS WILL BRING A BIT OF A SHADOW IN THE LEE OF THE CASCADES AS COOL NW FLOW MATERIALIZES... BUT ON AN OPPOSITE NOTE...THE COOLING ALOFT WILL BE INCREASING MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES AND ACTING TO DESTABILIZE THE AIR MASS. MEANWHILE...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS. BY WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE SECOND UPPER-LOW WILL BE SETTLING OVERHEAD KEEPING THE UPPER- LEVEL RATHER COOL RESULTING IN MODERATE CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON CONVECTION AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. JUST ABOUT EVERY LOCATION STANDS A CHANCE TO RECEIVE SOME ACTIVITY IN THIS PATTERN. TEMPERATURES OVER THE PERIOD WILL START OFF NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL ON MONDAY (70'S TO LOW 80'S) THEN CRASH BACK BELOW NORMAL (INTO THE LOWER 60'S TO LOW 70'S) TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. /SB && .HYDROLOGY... TONIGHT...PRECIPITATION OVER EXTREME EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN FOR A CONTINUED FLOODING THREAT. HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL SHIFT INTO THE PANHANDLE AS WE MOVE FURTHER INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS MAY BE QUITE HEAVY WITH RISES LIKELY IN THE KOOTENAI...COEUR D'ALENE...ST JOE...AND PALOUSE RIVER BASINS. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THROUGH TONIGHT IS NOT EXPECTED TO PUSH ANY OTHER FORECAST POINTS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT THIS TIME. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WILL SEE A SIGNIFICANT WARMING TREND. SUNDAY AND MONDAY WILL BE THE WARMEST DAYS WE HAVE SEEN FOR SOME TIME. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE HIGH 50S AND LOW 60S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 4500 FEET. THIS WILL RESULT IN RISES TO MANY OF THE RIVERS ACROSS THE REGION DUE TO MELTING SNOW. MODELS ARE INDICATING THE AXIS OF GREATEST HIGH ELEVATION WARMING OCCURRING ACROSS THE IDAHO PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS. ALTHOUGH HIGH ELEVATION TEMPERATURES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS HIGH...THE CASCADES WILL BE WARMING SIGNIFICANTLY AS WELL. MID TO HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK ACROSS THE COEUR D'ALENE BASIN HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ANY RISES TO REMAIN BELOW ACTION STAGE LEVELS ON THE COEUR D'ALENE RIVER. HOWEVER...ACROSS THE ST JOE...SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA...AND NORTH CASCADES...THERE CONTINUES TO BE QUITE A BIT OF HIGH ELEVATION SNOW PACK LEFT TO MELT. ALL RIVERS THAT TAP INTO THIS SNOW MELT WILL SEE RISES OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. BY TUESDAY...WE SHOULD SEE TEMPERATURES COOLING OFF ONCE AGAIN. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THESE COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY MORE RAINFALL. MODELS ARE INDICATING THAT THIS RAINFALL COULD BE QUITE SIGNIFICANT DEPENDING ON WHERE THE MAIN AXIS OF HEAVIER RAIN SETS UP. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS THAT THIS BAND WILL SET UP SOMEWHERE OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF WASHINGTON INTO THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE. THIS TRACK WOULD CREATE ADDITIONAL RISES TO RIVERS AND LAKES THROUGH THE WEEK. THIS SITUATION WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED AND FORECASTS UPDATED AS THIS RAIN EVENT BECOMES MORE CLEAR. /SVH && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS...CEILINGS WILL BE ABNORMALLY LOW FOR EARLY JUNE IN THE SPOKANE...PULLMAN...LEWISTON...AND COEUR D'ALENE AREAS. A SLOW MOVING UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE RAIN OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE WILL BE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN CEILINGS AS GUSTY WEST WINDS PROVIDE SOME DOWNSLOPE DRYING ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN THIS AFTERNOON...AND STRATUS WILL LIKELY DISPERSE QUICKLY BETWEEN 00Z- 04Z AS THE UPPER LOW PULLS OUT OF THE REGION. WIND GUSTS OF 25-30 MPH WILL BE COMMON BETWEEN 20Z AND 02Z AT WENATCHEE...MOSES LAKE...SPOKANE...AND PULLMAN. /GKOCH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 42 65 45 74 49 78 / 30 10 10 0 0 0 COEUR D'ALENE 42 64 42 74 46 78 / 40 10 10 0 0 0 PULLMAN 40 64 42 74 48 76 / 40 10 0 0 0 0 LEWISTON 46 71 48 79 52 80 / 20 10 10 0 0 10 COLVILLE 43 70 42 79 48 84 / 30 10 10 0 0 0 SANDPOINT 43 61 39 73 42 79 / 80 20 10 0 0 0 KELLOGG 40 59 40 72 45 78 / 90 20 10 0 0 10 MOSES LAKE 44 73 45 79 49 84 / 10 10 0 0 0 0 WENATCHEE 47 72 48 78 53 84 / 10 10 0 0 0 0 OMAK 43 74 45 77 50 84 / 10 10 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 2 2011 IDZ026-027-WAZ031>035-041-044-031300- LEWISTON AREA-LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES- NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS-LOWER GARFIELD AND ASOTIN COUNTIES- WASHINGTON PALOUSE-MOSES LAKE AREA-UPPER COLUMBIA BASIN- WENATCHEE AREA-WATERVILLE PLATEAU- 555 AM PDT THU JUN 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...CENTRAL WASHINGTON...EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON...NORTH CENTRAL 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. IDZ001>004-WAZ036>038-042-043-031300- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-COEUR D'ALENE AREA-IDAHO PALOUSE- CENTRAL PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS-SPOKANE AREA-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS- OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS-EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY- 555 AM PDT THU JUN 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH IDAHO... NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND NORTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE SPRING MELT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST...AND RIVERS WILL REMAIN HIGH. ADDITIONAL POTENTIALLY HEAVY RAIN TODAY OVER NORTH IDAHO AND NORTHEAST WASHINGTON WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO RIVER RISES.
The Spokane radar (KOTX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:48 UTC.
4 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm produced heavy rain that resulted in water gushing down a sloped gravel driveway. Minor sections of the driveway were damaged. Pea sized hail was also reported with the thunderstorm.
Rainfall accumulation of 1.10 inches was reported within a span of 45 minutes to one hour.
It was estimated that 0.75 inches to 1.00 inches of rain fell within ten minutes.
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, June 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: 314769, 314785, 314791, 314794, 314797.