Flood in Latah County, Idaho

The USGS river gage at Paradise Creek in Moscow recorded a sharp rise above the Flood Stage of 9.2 feet at 8:45 PM December 29th. The creek quickly crested at 9.7 feet by 9:00 PM and then receded back below Flood Stage by 11:00 PM. No damage was reported with this minor flood.

A stationary front fed by a rich plume of Pacific moisture followed by the passage of a surface low pressure brought heavy snow to the mountains and valleys of north Idaho beginning on the 28th of December and continuing through the 30th. As the surface low pressure approached a tongue of warm air aloft produced freezing rain in addition to snow in the Coeur D'Alene area. The warm front never migrated any farther north and the mountains and valleys of the northern Idaho Panhandle received heavy snow until the storm ended. South of the warm front, over the Idaho Palouse region and the valleys of the central Panhandle heavy rain fell with St. Maries reporting 1.26 inches of rain, Potlatch receiving 2.21 inches and Lewiston 1.33 inches. This rainfall combined with melting low elevation snow triggered mudslides and debris flows as well as forcing Paradise Creek near Moscow briefly above Flood Stage.