Flood — Lewis, Idaho

2011-04-02 to 2011-04-03 · near Kamiah, Lewis, Idaho

Event narrative

Flooding of Lawyer's Creek resulted in closures of Lawyer's Creek Road between highway 162 and Flying B Ranch. The main creek split with one flow going toward Flying B Ranch where one resident reported at least one foot of water around his house. The rest of the creek flowed eastward to Robinson's Pond where it ate away at the levy between the pond and highway spilling about three feet of water over the road.

Wider weather episode

A stationary trough of low pressure off the Pacific Northwest Coast steered a deep fetch of subtropical moisture into the Idaho Panhandle which persisted from the end of March through April 7th bringing several rounds of heavy rain. Mild temperatures and breezy winds accompanying the subtropical moisture feed resulted in excessive mid-elevation snowmelt. The combination of heavy rainfall and excessive runoff resulted in sharp rises in most basins within the Idaho Panhandle. In addition, saturated soils became unstable in some locations resulting in debris flows. There were no injuries or reports of damage to residences or businesses however, significant damage was observed along transportation infrastructure within Bonner, Boundary, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shoshone Counties as well as the Nez Perce Reservation.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.2137, -116.1234)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 293504. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.