Debris Flow — Chelan, Washington

2017-11-23 · near Holder, Chelan, Washington

Event narrative

The Holden Village Operations Manager reported a debris flow which originated on a nearby avalanche chute due to heavy rain and snow melt, flowing through the town down the main street. Four to 6 inches of mud resulted from this flow. No homes were damaged. Two nearby smaller debris flows were noted but neither of them affected the village.

Wider weather episode

An Atmospheric River of Pacific moisture was directed into the Cascades of Washington during much of the third week of November. Holden Village recorded 3.65 inches of rain and water equivalent wet snow, which melted as the tropical origin moisture brought mild air along with it. Stehekin measured 3.57 inches of rain during the previous three days. All of this moisture resulted in minor flooding along the Stehekin River and triggered a debris flow through the village of Holden on Thanksgiving Day.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (48.2035, -120.7812)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 724139. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.