Flooding in Idaho, June 6, 2012

Name: Flooding in Idaho, June 6, 2012
Start: 2012-06-06T09:30
End: 2012-06-06T15:00
Location: Idaho

June 6, 2012 · NWS OTX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

A negatively tilted trough moved into the Inland Northwest with a closed low pressure circulation over northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. Strong dynamical lifting took place in the northeast quadrant of the closed upper level low circulation over northern Idaho. A highly moist air mass was drawn northward into northern Idaho along the eastern flank of the low pressure system. This produced a band of moderate rainfall rates that set up across the northern Idaho Panhandle. Moisture continued to wrap around this low pressure system as it moved northeast of the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours with moderate rainfall continuing to be observed. The extended duration of moderate to heavy rainfall amounts resulted in rapid rises to small creeks and streams in the Sandpoint area with flooding observed on some local roadways. Rainfall amounts of around an inch and a half over the past twenty-four hours were reported in the evening, with most of this rainfall occurring during the morning and afternoon hours early in the day.

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 Jun 6, 7:29 AM PST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 6, 7:29 AM PST, 2 hours 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
829 AM PDT Wed Jun 6 2012

.SYNOPSIS...
Low pressure will remain over the region. The resulting low
pressure pattern will favor numerous weather systems to pass over
the region so below normal temperatures and showery weather will
continue for much of this workweek and into the weekend. Drier and
warmer weather could arrive by early next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Rest of Today...Satellite indicates a moist upper level low
circulation over northwest Montana. Wrap-around moisture from this
feature is producing a persistent area of rain and high elevation
snow across northeast Washington and north Idaho. It appears from
satellite extrapolation and model data that the offending closed
low will slowly migrate northward during the day today...taking
it's moisture with it...but this will be a very slow process.
Thus...any improvement or drying trend will occur on the margin of
the current precipitation shield. The Spokane CDA area and points
south and east will probably experience a slow tapering off of
steady light rain starting around 11am or noon...but the threat of
showers will probably continue through the day. North of this
area including the Northeast Washington Mountains and North Idaho
zone...little or no noticeable drying will occur today with a
general continuation of light rain. Web cameras indicate snow
covered road across Stevens Pass and it is expected that light
snow will probably continue for much of the day...but the road
surface may very well warm up to melt the snow by afternoon. Given
the anomalously late season nature of this winter driving
regime...have opted to issue a focused Winter Weather Advisory
specifically for the pass until 1 pm. Zone forecast and State
Forecast Product have been updated. /Fugazzi

&&

.AVIATION...
12Z TAFS: A band of light to moderate precipitation will pivot
through the Idaho Panhandle and northeast Washington today. Expect
occasional MVFR conditions around KGEG/KSFF/KCOE with the
precipitation, before the band shifts north around 15-18Z Wednesday.
This will leave drier but continued breezy conditions for most TAF
sites. Gusts between 20-30kts will be a threat. However winds should
begin to decrease through the afternoon to early evening as the low
pulls away and the pressure gradients slacken.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane        53  41  67  43  59  41 / 100  10  50  70  30  30
Coeur d'Alene  49  40  69  46  58  43 / 100  10  50  80  40  40
Pullman        55  39  66  44  55  40 /  30   0  40  70  40  40
Lewiston       63  45  73  50  62  47 /  20   0  40  60  30  30
Colville       50  42  70  48  62  45 / 100  20  60  70  50  50
Sandpoint      47  40  67  46  58  42 / 100  30  40  80  70  70
Kellogg        47  41  65  44  54  42 / 100  10  40  80  70  70
Moses Lake     66  46  68  47  64  46 /   0   0  60  50  20  20
Wenatchee      65  48  62  47  62  47 /   0   0  60  30  20  20
Omak           63  41  67  44  64  43 /  20  10  70  60  40  40

&&

.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...None.
WA...Winter Weather Advisory until 1 PM PDT this afternoon for
     Okanogan Highlands.

&&

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 6, 9:18 AM PST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
1018 AM PDT WED JUN 06 2012

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

1013 AM     FLOOD            HOPE                    48.25N 116.31W
06/06/2012                   BONNER             ID   EMERGENCY MNGR

            DENTON ROAD NEAR HOPE ID HAS BEEN PARTIALLY WASHED OUT BY
            RISER CREEK REPORTED AT 0945 LOCAL PDT. FLOODING ISSUES
            ON SEVERAL SMALL STREAMS INCLUDING RISER CREEK...STRONG
            CREEK...AND LIGHTNING CREEK.

&&

JCLEV

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Bonner

When: June 6, 9:30 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Bonner County, 1.46 mi NE of Clark Fork to 1.08 mi ENE of Trestle Creek
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 48.163, -116.155

Denton Road was partially washed out by Riser Creek. The cost to repair the washout was estimated at $15,000. Other minor flooding was reported along Riser Creek, Strong Creek, and Lightning Creek in the area. Portions of East Spring Creek Road were underwater due to flooding from Lightning Creek.

Flood, Bonner

When: June 6, 9:30 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Bonner County, 3.63 mi E of Forest Siding to 3.94 mi E of Forest Siding
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 48.409, -116.442

Grouse Creek came out of its banks and flooded a portion of Samuels Road as well as a residence near Colburn Culver Road. No damages were reported.

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Idaho in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, June 2012

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: 385550, 385552.