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Flood in Lewis County, Idaho

Flood April 9, 2019 – April 11, 2019 · Lewis County, Idaho

$100K
Damage as recorded

Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.

What the National Weather Service wrote

High water in the Clearwater River augmented by a levee break along Lawyer Creek produced extensive flooding near the confluence of these two streams on the eastern edge of the city of Kamiah. The flood waters were reported to be waist deep in the Kamiah Riverfront Park. Flood waters also partially inundated a lumber yard, undermined a railroad grade and trestle crossing Lawyer Creek and high water prohibited access to the city's water plant. The levee was temporarily repaired by the public works department as the creek receded.

The wider storm

Beginning on April 6th and continuing through April 10th a series of Pacific atmospheric rivers were directed into Oregon, southeast Washington and central Idaho saturating the ground with heavy rainfall. During this 4 day period the COOP station at Kamiah reported 1.86 inches of rain, Elk River reported 2.94 inches of rain, Moscow 3.44 inches, Nez Perce 2.05 inches, Potlatch 2.46 inches, Dworshack Fish Hatchery 3.08 inches , the Lewiston Airport ASOS 0.93 inches and the ASOS at Pullman, WA recording 2.88 inches of rain. By the 9th of April widespread areal flooding issues from swollen streams and rivers as well as mud slides were noted around the region which persisted until the 11th when heavy rain ceased and rivers and streams began to recede.

Kamiah, ID suffered minor flooding of businesses, utilities and park land from the Clearwater River on the eastern boundary of the city and and the breaching of a levee on Lawyer Creek on the southern edge of the city. Lapwai Creek also overflowed it's banks threatening homes and flooding bottom lands and portions of State Highway 95 between Lapwai and Culdesac. Tribal officials of the Nez Perce reservation, which includes most of this region, declared a State of Emergency in response to this flooding event.

In the city of Moscow after receiving 1.47 inches of rain on April 9th, Paradise Creek rose to it's highest flood level on record causing extensive minor flooding of portions downtown Moscow. This flooding was aggravated by a Flash Flood running through residential neighborhoods and business districts laying in in gullies and ravines draining the saturated hills to the north of the city

The Palouse River also reached flood stage with inundation of bottom lands and fields along the river with some minor flooding of agricultural out buildings.

Began near Kamiah (46.2293, -116.0203).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 817308. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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