Heavy Rain — Douglas, Washington

2001-06-26 to 2001-06-27 · near Countywide, Douglas, Washington

Wider weather episode

An unusual dry-season wetting rainfall in this arid region caused extensive damage to the cherry crop and lesser damage to the apple and pear crops. Much of the problem stemmed from the fact that spotty rainfall persisted for a nearly 24-hour period, causing fruit crops with porous skins to stay wet for an extensive period of time. The Wenatchee Airport (Pangborn Field) reported a 24-hour rainfall total of 0.53". Around 40 percent of the cherry crop was lost in what was expected to be a record year. The four counties included in this heavy rain report were all declared agricultural disaster areas by the governor of Washington. In Grant County, the heaviest crop losses were limited to an estimated 4,000 acres of fruit crops near Mattawa. For more information on crop losses in Adams County, see the June 27 Hail entry for that county.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5251210. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.