Snow water equivalents near 200% of normal in the Blue Mountains coupled with warm temperatures and near record rainfall totals for April produced significant river flooding across eastern Oregon.
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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 PDT wrote it up.
Snow water equivalents near 200% of normal in the Blue Mountains coupled with warm temperatures and near record rainfall totals for April produced significant river flooding across eastern Oregon.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 8, 1:31 AM PST, 4 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pendleton OR 231 AM PDT Mon Apr 8 2019 .SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday...An atmospheric river (AR) will keep a steady flow of Pacific moisture into the Pacific Northwest with a west to southwest flow aloft. This will cause widespread rain over the forecast area through at least tonight. The result of mountain snow melt and rain (which may be heavy at times over the mountains) will result in rises on rivers and streams. Main concern for this forecast package will be the flooding that is expected on 6 river forecast points in the CWA. Though there will be some flooding expected, the flooding will be minor as water levels are only forecast to go a little bit above flood stage at these river forecast points. A weak cold front like feature will move across the CWA tonight and Tuesday which will be followed by some drying in a more west northwest flow as an upper ridge develops off the coast and the trough over the CWA becomes amplified. This will result in less precipitation for Tuesday. However, another weather system will move into the region on with moisture topping over the ridge off the coast and then southeast in the forecast area. This next system also promises to bring a decent amount of rainfall adding to the runoff and snowmelt already occurring to causing additional rises on rivers and streams on Wednesday. Temperatures will remain slightly below normal. It will be be breezy to windy at times, especially Tuesday afternoon and evening. The winds will then diminish on Wednesday. 88 .LONG TERM...Wednesday night through Sunday. Long term period will remain active and wet. Initially there will be a ridge offshore and a large trough over the Rockies and Midwestern states with the PacNW in between under north to northwest flow aloft. A digging upper- level low/trough will drop south out of western Canada into the Pacific NW sometime later Wednesday night into Thursday, then drop south towards CA/NV Thursday night into Friday. Models and ensembles are coming into better alignment but still diverge on the overall strength, location and timing of this system so overall confidence remains low to medium, but have at least a chance of rain and mountain snow showers Wed night/Thu before tapering off north to south Thu night into early Friday. Columbia Basin should be mainly dry with this system with the mountains and central OR taking the brunt of precip. Friday into early Saturday looks to be drier at this point with transitory ridging expected ahead of yet another approaching upper-level low/trough that looks to bring more wet weather by later Saturday into Sunday. Snow levels Wed night/Thu will be fairly low for this time of year (3000-4000ft) but will rise slowly by the weekend (4500-5500ft). Temperatures will start out below normal through Thursday (highs upper 40s to near 60, lows upper 20s to near 40) but warm to near by the weekend (highs mid 50s to mid 60s, lows mid 30s to mid 40s). && .AVIATION...12Z TAFs...Scattered to widespread rain continues this morning and could be moderate at times. Rain will slowly end from north to south this afternoon into tonight. MVFR and brief IFR conditions possible, especially in heavier showers. Mountain obscuration possible as well. Southwest to westerly winds generally less than 10kts will pick up late tonight into Tuesday morning (10- 20kts). && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 59 41 57 36 / 80 60 30 20 ALW 61 44 59 39 / 70 60 40 30 PSC 63 46 65 40 / 60 40 20 10 YKM 61 41 62 37 / 70 40 10 0 HRI 63 43 64 39 / 70 50 20 10 ELN 57 37 57 36 / 70 40 10 0 RDM 56 38 52 31 / 80 70 30 10 LGD 56 39 50 33 / 90 80 60 40 GCD 58 39 51 31 / 100 80 50 20 DLS 61 43 60 41 / 80 60 20 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. && 88/84/84
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
There was widespread flooding of fields and lowlands along the river across Union County. There were at least 5000 acres of agricultural land flooded and numerous roads had damage.
The Silvies River overflowed its banks with widespread field and road flooding in and around Seneca. Canyon Creek flooded into fields above Highway 395. Through the town on Canyon City, the high water damaged one bridge over Canyon Creek and 2 homes. The high water on the John Day River caused several state highways to be closed between Dayville, Picture Gorge and Kimberly. Clyde Holliday Park on the outskirts of John Day was flooded. Other creeks and streams caused numerous road washouts across the county.
McKay Creek, with headwaters in the Blue Mountains saw significant rises with record inflows recorded at McKay Reservoir in Pendleton. This resulted in increased releases from the McKay Dam, with flooding downstream along the creek through Pendleton. Teams were out in partnership with Team Rubicon and surveyed 102 homes in the McKay area. Nine homes reported flooded basements, twenty-eight homes reported subfloor or foundation flooding and sixty-five homes had water encroachment on the property. Over ninety homes had actively sandbagged their property.
Field and roadway flooding was seen along the Grande Ronde River and numerous other small streams with significant snowmelt and heavy rain.
A levy along Camas Creek in Ukiah was damaged with flooding of several outbuildings on properties in Ukiah, several homes were surrounded with water.
Flooding along Hinton Creek took place on April 9th and 10th. The fairgrounds in Heppner were flooded as well as fields along the creek above Heppner.
Numerous sections of Oregon Highway 19 and 207 were closed due to water over road and damage to road surfaces. Numerous county roads were damaged with rock and mudslides as well as plugged culverts. Flooding was reported in the city park in Spray.
A combination of high flows from rain and snow melt coming out of the Blue Mountains and record releases out of McKay Reservoir produced field and roadside flooding downstream of Pendleton through Echo, Hermiston and Umatilla. A footbridge at Umatilla was damaged by the high flows and erosion.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, April 2019
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: 818061, 818052, 818057, 818064, 818058, 818056, 818055, 818059.