Idaho, 2014

Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Idaho, August 13, 2014

August 13, 2014 · NWS BOI · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

An upper level low pressure system off the coast of Oregon moved slowly inland on the 13th leading to more severe weather across Southwest Idaho.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 BOI wrote it up.

An upper level low pressure system off the coast of Oregon moved slowly inland on the 13th leading to more severe weather across Southwest Idaho.

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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 13, 2:04 PM MST, 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 2:04 PM MST, 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
304 PM MDT WED AUG 13 2014

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN IDAHO. VERY MOIST
AND UNSTABLE AIR COMBINE WITH UPPER LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL WILL
HELP DRIVE ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS IN THE WATCH AREA. PRIMARY
THREAT IN THE WATCH AREA IS FOR LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN OTHER AREAS COULD ALSO PRODUCE GUSTY
WINDS AND SMALL HAIL THIS EVENING. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH TOWARDS MIDNIGHT AS THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE
COOLS OFF. THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY REDEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA
AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON
FRIDAY.

LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A CHANGE TO A DRY
PATTERN IS ON THE WAY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR OR
SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. MODELS MOVE THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OUT OF
OUR AREA FRIDAY NIGHT WITH SHOWERS ENDING OVER OUR NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS BY SATURDAY MORNING. A BRIEF PERIOD OF ZONAL FLOW OVER
THE WEEKEND WILL BE FOLLOWED MONDAY AND TUESDAY BY AND UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE EXTENDING NORTH OVER SOUTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST IDAHO.

.AVIATION...EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCAL
MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS AND TERRAIN OBSCURATION IN HEAVY RAIN THROUGH
THIS EVENING. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS UP TO 45 KTS ARE POSSIBLE. AFTER
06Z THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE NORTH OF A KBNO-KONO-KTWF LINE...
BECOMING ISOLATED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
AWAY FROM THUNDERSTORMS SURFACE WINDS WILL BE VARIABLE 5-15 KTS.
WINDS ALOFT WILL BE SOUTHERLY 15-25 KTS UP THROUGH 10K FEET MSL.

&&

&&

.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT IDZ400>403.
OR...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING ORZ646.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/BOISE

SHORT TERM...JB
LONG TERM....JT/WH
AVIATION.....JT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 13, 10:37 AM MST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOISE ID
1137 AM MDT WED AUG 13 2014

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

0550 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HAGERMAN                42.82N 114.90W
08/12/2014                   GOODING            ID   NEWSPAPER

            POWER POLES DOWN 2 MILES NW OF HAGERMAN.

&&

ABRAUN

The radar

The Pocatello radar (KSFX), 160 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Twin Falls

When
August 13, 2:48 PM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Twin Falls County, 8.35 mi S of Rock Creek to 7.51 mi S of Milner
Measured
71 kt (82 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
42.310, -114.320

Trail Gulch raws.

Thunderstorm Wind, Elmore

When
August 13, 3:00 PM MST to 3:15 PM MST
Where
Elmore County, 7.76 mi WNW of (Muo)mountain Home A to 2.04 mi W of Sebree
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
43.110, -116.000

Raws.

Flash Flood, Twin Falls

When
August 13, 3:30 PM MST to 4:15 PM MST
Where
Twin Falls County, 4 mi WSW of Rock Creek to 0.67 mi SSW of Rock Creek
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
42.408, -114.373

The Idaho Ranger2 remote automated weather station reported a gust of 69 MPH.

Flash Flood, Twin Falls

When
August 13, 3:50 PM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where
Twin Falls County, 3.64 mi W of Rock Creek to 1.83 mi WSW of Rock Creek
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
42.420, -114.370

A flash flood on McMullen Creek washed out roads near the intersection of E 2900 N and N 3500 E.

Debris Flow, Boise

When
August 13, 4:30 PM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where
Boise County, 8.51 mi NE of Idaho City to 9.65 mi NE of Idaho City
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
43.910, -115.700

Debris was reported flowing across Highway 21 near Hayfork Campground.

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When
August 13, 7:30 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where
Valley County, 14.58 mi NNE of Lardo to 24.4 mi WNW of Big Creek
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
Coordinates
45.110, -115.990

Over 100 trees were reported down on the Warren to Burgdorf Road.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Debris Flow
A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Idaho in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, August 2014

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: 541250, 541251, 541234, 541252, 541247, 541248.