PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (WA) Flooding in NE Washington State

Date: Fri, 25 May 2018 13:10:42 EDT

Summary: Flooding in Northeast Washington has begun to recede on most of the rivers, but the Pend Oreille River is still above moderate flood stage and still rising.

Flooding has begun to recede on many of the rivers in the Upper Columbia Basin in northeast Washington due to snowmelt from a above normal snowpack. Some of the rivers that we have been watching closely, the Similkameen, Okanagan, and the Kettle Rivers in northeastern Washington have all peaked and are falling but the Okanagan remains above flood stage. The Pend Oreille River, a tributary to the Columbia River that flows in Idaho, Washington and British Columbia has been rising all month and is currently above the moderate flood stage, flowing at 118,000 cfs as verified by a discharge measurement yesterday. It is forecasted to crest May 31 or June 1 at about 125,000 cfs. Other rivers on the east side of the Washington Cascade Mountains are also receding from peak flows earlier in the month. Crews will be out next week getting discharge measurements on the Pend Oreille and the Columbia River at International Border. Currently all the gages are operating with no reported loss of data.