Heavy rainfall along the Blue mountain foothills and across the Blue mountains resulted in flooding along the Umatilla river.
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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.
Heavy rainfall along the Blue mountain foothills and across the Blue mountains resulted in flooding along the Umatilla river.
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 22, 2:24 AM PST, 6 hours 14 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
324 AM PDT Wed Apr 22 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
1. Continued rainfall through Wednesday evening
2. Breezy to windy conditions Wednesday
3. Pattern shift will bring drier and below average temperatures.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Current radar shows some moderate returns over the Basin with ground
observations showing 0.12-0.16 inches of rainfall has fallen between
Pasco and Walla Walla in the last hour. Elsewhere, radar shows
lighter returns with 0.03-0.07 inches of rainfall in the last hour
with higher amounts through Meacham. Rainfall is expected to
continue through the day today.
Models show the closed low to be off the coast of northern
California with the leading edge spinning directly across the
region. Southeast flow is bringing widespread rain across the
region currently and models show precipitation to continue through
much of the day. Rainfall amounts will vary across the region with
heaviest amounts focused across the Blues and portions of the
eastern mountains decreasing lightly as we move westward. Lightest
amounts will be found through central and north central OR up to the
western portion of the Gorge. NBM QPF shows plenty of precipitation
available with 60-90% of the NBM raw ensembles showing rainfall
totals nearing 1-1.5 inches over the next 24 hours along the crests
of the Northern Blues. The foothills show 40-60% probabilities of
near an inch of rainfall while the eastern portion of the Columbia
Basin sees 40-60% for 0.80-1 inch while the western portion of the
Columbia Basin of WA has 40-60% probabilities of seeing near 0.50
inches of total rainfall. Moving to the Simcoe Highlands of
Klickitat and Yakima Kittitas Valleys, 40-60% probabilities these
areas will see up to 0.40 inches of rainfall. As for central and
north central OR, 60-80% chances of 0.01-0.02 inches. A quick note,
snow levels have begun to decrease to around 4500 feet and
precipitation above that will likely fall as wet snow. A winter
weather advisory is in effect for the Northern and southern Blues
for 7 to 12 inches and 4 to 8 inches respectively through 8 PM.
A wind advisory is in effect for the Kittitas/Yakima Valleys, Blue
Mountain foothills, Columbia Gorge and Basin, North central OR and
the Simcoe Highlands of Klickitat County. sustained winds of 25 to
35 mph with gusts of 40 to 55 mph expected. In house models guidance
shows a 12-14 mb pressure gradient change over the region will lead
in increased winds, especially through the wind prone mountain gaps
and foothills. NBM raw ensembles show 70-80% probabilities of the
winds occurring with ground observations already showing Kittitas
Valley having winds in the 25-30 mph sustained winds and gusts that
have already reached 43-45 mph. Winds are expected to remain
elevated through 11 PM Wednesday night.
As we move into Wednesday night and Thursday morning the upper level
low begins to move inland and over the region. With the low off now
to the east and the semi formed Rex block to the west, northerly
flow will begin to dominate over the region. Models show much of the
precipitation to be tapering off with only a few lingering showers
over the Cascades and eastern mountains. As we move into Thursday,
drier conditions will begin to dominate and the north flow aloft
will usher in colder air. In could calculations show that
temperatures will be anywhere from 10-20 degrees below seasonal
average with EFI in agreement. Temperatures Thursday and through the
weekend will be in the low to mid 50s across a vast majority of the
region with 70-80% probabilities and isolated 60s in the Basin.
Models show this pattern to persist through Sunday night ahead of
another pattern shift. 90
&&
.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/...
VFR and MVFR conditions expected through the beginning of the
forecast period. Rain has been ongoing this evening and will
continue to remain through the period causing CIGs to drop to
MVFR across many TAF sites after 12-16Z. ALW have a 30% chance
of seeing MVFR conditions between 19-23Z due to CIGs and low VIS
due to BR. All TAF sites will also see breezy to windy
conditions through the period with winds between 20-30 kts and
gusts between 30-35 kts. 90
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
Aerial flood watches are in effect for the northern and
southern Blue Mountains and the norther and southern Blue
Mountain foothills through Thursday morning. Umatilla at
Pendleton and Gibbon is expected to reach minor flood stage
Thursday, John Day at Service Creek, Walla Wall near Touchet,
Naches near Cliffdell and Naches are all expected to reach
bankfull by Thursday as well. Moderate to heavy rains through
the area through Wednesday will cause these rivers to rise. 90
&&
.Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs...
PDT 51 38 58 37 / 100 40 40 20
ALW 51 41 58 39 / 100 50 60 30
PSC 61 42 65 39 / 100 20 30 10
YKM 63 40 67 39 / 80 0 10 10
HRI 55 40 62 39 / 100 20 20 10
ELN 56 39 59 35 / 80 10 10 10
RDM 52 26 61 28 / 50 10 0 0
LGD 46 36 52 34 / 100 80 50 40
GCD 46 31 54 32 / 90 70 20 20
DLS 58 42 65 41 / 80 10 0 0
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for WAZ024-027>029-
521.
Flood Watch through Thursday evening for WAZ029.
Winter Weather Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening for WAZ030.
Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for WAZ026.
OR...Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening for ORZ041-044-507-
508-510.
Flood Watch through Thursday evening for ORZ502-507-508.
Winter Weather Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening for ORZ502-
503.
&&
DISCUSSION...90
AVIATION...90
HYDROLOGY...90The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Umatilla County Emergency Manager reported that water over Bingham Road east of Gibbon, with flood waters depositing debris and sediment.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, April 2026
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: 1335093.