Surface Water Management Division
Flood Preparedness & Awareness
Yakima River Basin Flood History
FLOODING HISTORY AND IMPACTS
Since 1894, the flow in the Yakima River has exceeded flood level 47 times. Since 1970 the area was declared a federal disaster area due to flooding 8 times in 27 years. The largest flood of record occurred in December 1933, despite completion of the Yakima Project reservoir system by the US Bureau of Reclamation.
In 1938 designs for a federal levee system on the Yakima River were completed, but this project was not constructed until after World War II, completed in 1948, and repaired and extended the next year after the 1948 flood. These works were constructed to protect the urban areas of Yakima and Terrace Heights. A series of large floods during the 1970’s prompted further studies by the Corps, and the levees earlier constructed under Corps authority were raised twice in the 1970’s and the 1990’s. There were three major flood events in the 1990’s culminating in the 1996 flood. During this flood several areas along the Corps levees protecting the urban area received successful emergency reinforcement during the flood.
Most of the same floods occurred on the Naches River. In the 1970’s, SR 12 was constructed adjacent to the river, to an elevation to withstand the 200 year flood. The area of SR 12 upstream of the 16th Avenue exit has experienced repeated flood damage since the 1980’s and failure of this roadway during a major flood event would inundate a significant portion of Yakima.
|
 1948 Flood Union Gap |
 1948 Flood - Selah Gap |
 1948 Flood - Keyes Road |
|
 1996 - Waste Water Treatment Plant |
Historic River Levels
Yakima River at Cle Elum (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
502 |
Nov-14-1906 |
25,600 |
Period of Record |
1907-1990 |
Dec-30-1917 |
19,900 |
Dec-2-1977 |
17,600 |
||
Dec-24-1909 |
17,300 |
||
May-29-1948 |
16,700 |
||
Nov-23-1959 |
14,000 |
||
Jun-3-1913 |
11,300 |
||
Dec-13-1928 |
10,600 |
||
May-30-1917 |
10,100 |
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Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906, 1990 |
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Yakima River at Umtanum (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
1594 |
Nov-14-1906 |
41,000 |
Period of Record |
1907-2007 |
Dec-23-1933 |
32,200 |
Feb-9-1996 |
27,200 |
||
Nov-25-1909 |
22,900 |
||
Nov-25-1990 |
22,800 |
||
Dec-2-1977 |
21,500 |
||
Nov-23-1959 |
19,100 |
||
Dec-26-1980 |
16,800 |
||
Dec-3-1975 |
16,600 |
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Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906 |
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Yakima River near Parker (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
3660 |
Dec-23-1933 |
65,000 |
Period of Record |
1908-1977 |
Feb-9-1996 |
58,150 |
Yakima River near Parker (BOR) |
Dec-27-1980 |
47,337 |
|
Area (sq mi) |
3660 |
May-29-1948 |
37,700 |
Period of Record |
1979-2007 |
Nov-30-1995 |
36,504 |
Dec-13-1921 |
35,800 |
||
Dec-3-1977 |
35,090 |
||
32,630 |
|||
|
|
||
Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906 |
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Yakima River at Kiona (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
5615 |
Dec-23-1933 |
67,000 |
Period of Record |
1878-1914, 1933-2007 |
Nov-17-1906 |
66,000 |
Jan-18-1974 |
39,700 |
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Nov-18-1896 |
38,000 |
||
May-31-1948 |
37,900 |
||
Apr-17-1904 |
32,000 |
||
Nov-26-1909 |
30,600 |
||
Dec-28-1980 |
27,600 |
||
Dec-4-1977 |
27,000 |
||
Missing Flood Data: 1917, 1921 |
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Naches River below Tieton (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
||
Area (sq mi) |
941 |
Dec-22-1933 |
32,200 |
|
Period of Record |
1909-1979 |
Feb-8-1996 |
20,924 |
|
Naches River at Naches (BOR) |
Dec-2-1977 |
18,000 |
||
Area(sq mi) |
941 |
Dec-30-1917 |
16,800 |
|
Period of Record |
1979-2007 |
Nov-20-1995 |
16,434 |
|
Dec-4-1975 |
14,100 |
|||
Jun-1-1956 |
13,300 |
|||
Jun-17-1974 |
12,800 |
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Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906 |
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North Fork Ahtanum near Tampico (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
78.9 |
Jan-15-1974 |
1,580 |
Period of Record |
1908-1921, 1932-1979 |
Dec-2-1977 |
1,080 |
North Fork Ahtanum near Tampico (AID) |
May-27-1948 |
770 |
|
Area (sq mi) |
78.9 |
Dec-22-1933 |
755 |
Period of Record |
1997-2006 |
Jun-18-1916 |
728 |
May-20-1912 |
629 |
||
Jun-10-1972 |
593 |
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Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906, 1980, 1990, 1996 |
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Ahtanum Creek at Union Gap (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
173 |
Jan-16-1974 |
3100 |
Period of Record |
1910-1914, 1960-2007 |
Feb-9-1996 |
2,660 |
Mar-3-1910 |
1,530 |
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Feb-5-1963 |
1,340 |
||
Mar-13-1983 |
1,240 |
||
Feb-21-1982 |
1,110 |
||
Feb-29-1980 |
1,020 |
||
Feb-1-2003 |
1,010 |
||
Dec-3-1977 |
882 |
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Missing Flood Data:1904, 1906, 1909, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1933, 1948, 1951, 1956 |
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American River near Nile (USGS) |
Date of Event |
Flow (cfs) |
|
Area (sq mi) |
78.9 |
Dec-26-1980 |
6,280 |
Period of Record |
1940-2006 |
Dec-4-1975 |
4,860 |
Feb-9-1996 |
4,050 |
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Jan-2-1968 |
3,440 |
||
May-27-1948 |
3,420 |
||
Nov-2-2006 |
3,130 |
||
Dec-2-1977 |
3,020 |
||
May-20-1956 |
2,870 |
||
Nov-27-1949 |
2,530 |
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Missing Flood Data: 1904, 1906, 1909, 1917, 1921, 1933 |
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Largest Basin Floods in order: 1933, 1906, 1996, 1917, 1974, 1896, 1948, 1977, 1904, 1980, 1990, 1909
Largest Spring Floods in order: 1948, 1904, 1956, 1974