Flood Warning Issued for Paradise Creek at Moscow Affecting Latah and Whitman Counties

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Spokane, WA, has issued a Flood Warning for Paradise Creek at Moscow. This alert, which replaces a previous River Flood Watch, was issued early Friday morning and remains in effect until Saturday afternoon.

Affected Areas

The warning specifically impacts the following regions:

• Latah County, Idaho
• Whitman County, Washington
• Paradise Creek at Moscow

What You Should Do

Residents and motorists are urged to take the following precautions:

• Turn around, don’t drown: Do not attempt to drive through flooded roads. Most flood-related deaths occur in vehicles.
• Avoid flooded areas: Stay away from the creek banks and intersections known to flood.
• Monitor updates: The next official statement is expected to be issued by 3:30 PM PDT Friday.

Expected Conditions

Minor flooding is forecast for the region. Additional precipitation amounts of up to two inches are expected through Friday night. Furthermore, snow early Friday morning is expected to change over to rain, leading to increased runoff.

Specific impacts include:

• Water Levels: As of 2:45 AM PDT Friday, the creek stage was 8.9 feet. Bankfull stage is 8.0 feet, and the flood stage is 9.2 feet.
• Forecast Peak: The creek is expected to reach 9.3 feet Friday afternoon.
• Infrastructure Impacts: At 9.2 feet, water will overflow the creek at the intersection of Bridge Street and Hillcrest Drive and may flow into the intersection. Flooding is also expected near Damen Street.

Timeline

• Onset: The creek is forecast to rise above flood stage Friday morning, March 13.
• Peak: Water levels will remain near flood stage through early Saturday morning.
• Recession: The creek is expected to fall below flood stage by early Saturday afternoon.
• Expiration: The warning is currently set to expire at 12:41 PM PDT on Saturday, March 14.