Responding to spring time mountains snow melt, the Methow River achieved Flood Stage briefly on May 24th and then rose above Flood Stage on May 31st. Bottom land and fields along the river between Mazama and Pateros were inundated but no structures were threatened.
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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.
Responding to spring time mountains snow melt, the Methow River achieved Flood Stage briefly on May 24th and then rose above Flood Stage on May 31st. Bottom land and fields along the river between Mazama and Pateros were inundated but no structures were threatened.
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 31, 3:35 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 435 AM PDT Wed May 31 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Unsettled but near seasonal temperatures are expected through the end of the work week. There is a chance of showers, with afternoon and early evening mainly mountain thunderstorms possible. Rises on rivers from the Cascades into north Idaho will continue due to warm conditions. The weather pattern will be quite progressive through the weekend and into the middle of next week as a couple of weather disturbances are expected to move through the region. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Thursday: Upper level trough will continue to impact the Inland Northwest through Thursday. Southerly flow will keep the moisture streaming in. Precipitable water values remain very high - around an inch today and tomorrow. Showers with afternoon and early evening thunderstorms is possible through Thursday. Today the best threat of thunderstorms will stretch across the higher terrain from the Okanogan Valley east into most of the Idaho Panhandle. Thursday the trough continues to push weak waves through the region with a better chance of more widespread showers region wide. The afternoon thunder threat will be east of a line from Republic to Ritzville to Pendleton. Temperatures today will be a few degrees above average, thanks in part to the extensive cloud cover overnight that has kept our temperatures about 10-15 degrees above average. Cloud cover will be extensive today, and that will inhibit how warm we will get, and may have an impact on the extent of our thunder. Thursday we continue to cool a few degrees with mostly cloudy skies as well. /Nisbet Thursday night through early Friday...One last weak short wave will clip the northern zones Thursday night and early Friday as the first low gets kicked out of the region for a lingering chance for showers across the northeast zones. Any precipitation associated with these showers will be light and quite variable. Friday through Sunday...Model guidance has been consistent showing a low pressure system moving out of the Gulf of Alaska and into the eastern Pacific Friday morning, then lingering over the region through Sunday. The low then splits on Monday with the best dynamics heading into southern Oregon and a much weaker branch in Southern B.C. early next week. Whew, you just do not see that very often and it will be interesting to see how this pattern plays out. High pressure will build in from the west ahead of this low Friday afternoon for mainly dry conditions through Saturday. South-southwest flow will allow increased moisture to move into the region on Saturday. There will be increasing clouds through the day Saturday and an outside chance for showers by late afternoon over the north Cascades. Shower and thunderstorm chances will increase Saturday night and Sunday as the low begins to swing through the region and drags a cold front into the region. This will likely be the most active portion of the extended period. Cooler then normal temperatures on Friday will quickly rebound on Saturday, before cooling off again Sunday. Monday and Tuesday...Moisture will warp around the closed low over southern Oregon and keep showers and afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast for the Idaho Panhandle south into the Camas Prairie and the Blue mountains. The showers may wrap as far back to the west as the Palouse and the West Plains, but the focus will be to the east. Across the western zones conditions will be dry with variable clouds. Temperatures for the eastern zones will be on the cool side of normal and above normal near the Cascades. Wednesday...High pressure will once again build back into the region from the west. Conditions will be warm and dry. This looks to be short lived however, as yet another storm system is possible by the end of next week. Tobin && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: A mid level cold front will hang out over the region. Best chance of showers will extend from NE Oregon and extend across SE WA and the northern ID Panhandle through the morning. Mid to high level clouds will remain over the region into the early afternoon. Another shortwave disturbance will move in for the afternoon and evening with another round of showers and thunderstorms expected. Best chances will be over the northern WA mtns and from the Northeast Blue Mtns into the southern to central ID Panhandle. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 72 54 69 50 70 49 / 20 20 50 20 10 10 Coeur d'Alene 73 53 68 48 69 46 / 30 30 60 40 10 10 Pullman 70 53 67 48 68 47 / 20 50 50 10 10 0 Lewiston 77 56 73 52 75 51 / 20 60 60 20 10 0 Colville 75 53 70 49 70 47 / 40 30 60 20 20 10 Sandpoint 74 50 67 44 67 42 / 30 50 60 40 20 10 Kellogg 75 47 66 44 65 43 / 30 60 70 40 10 10 Moses Lake 75 53 76 49 77 49 / 10 10 20 10 0 0 Wenatchee 74 56 73 52 73 50 / 10 10 20 10 10 0 Omak 75 53 74 49 75 49 / 40 10 30 10 10 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Spokane WA 1205 PM PDT Tue May 30 2017 IDZ002>004-026-027-WAZ031>036-041-044-311915- 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-WENATCHEE AREA-WATERVILLE PLATEAU- 1205 PM PDT Tue May 30 2017 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...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A cold front passage will result in a chance of thunderstorms. Some of these thunderstorms could produce locally heavy downpours, gusty winds and hail. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY The rest of the workweek will be cooler and continued unsettled with some chances of thunderstorms. IDZ001-WAZ037-038-042-043-311915- NORTHERN PANHANDLE-NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS-OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS- EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-OKANOGAN VALLEY- 1205 PM PDT Tue May 30 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Idaho... North Central Washington and Northeast Washington. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A cold front passage will result in a chance of thunderstorms. Some of these thunderstorms could produce locally heavy downpours, gusty winds and hail. In addition increased snowmelt will continue or allow additional rises on area rivers and streams. Localized mainstem river flooding is possible near the Cascades. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY Increased snowmelt will allow for continued or additional rises on area rivers and streams. Localized mainstem river flooding is possible. Otherwise the rest of the workweek will be cooler and continued unsettled with some chances of thunderstorms.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Methow River Gage at Pateros recorded a rise above the Flood Stage of 10.0 feet at 8:30 AM PST on May 31st. The river crested in Minor Flood at 10.3 feet at 4:00 PM May 31st and then dropped below the Flood Stage at 10:30 PM May 31st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, May 2017
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: 699685.