1948 Columbia River flood

1948 flood in the United States and Canada 1948 Columbia River flood File:Aerial_view_of_vanport_flooded.jpg Aerial view of Vanport, Oregon, during the flood May–June 1948 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana in the United States and British Columbia, CanadaPaulsen C. G. Rantz S. E. Riggs H. C. Floods of May-June 1948 in Columbia River Basin United States Geological Survey 1949 https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1080/report.pdf January 12, 2022 January 9, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220109205020/http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1080/report.pdf live 16–102Ott Jennifer https://www.historylink.org/file/10473 Vanport Flood begins on the Columbia River on May 30, 1948 August 30, 2013 HistoryLink January 12, 2022 January 12, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220112205936/https://www.historylink.org/file/10473 live $102.7 million ($1.2 billion in 2021)https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ U.S. Inflation Calculator 2022-01-13 2008-07-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20080723111922/https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ live The 1948 Columbia River flood (or Vanport Flood) was a regional flood that occurred in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. Large portions of the Columbia River watershed were impacted, including the Portland area, Eastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, Idaho Panhandle, northwestern Montana, and southeastern British Columbia. A publication of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1949 stated property damage reached $102.7 million (1949 value), 250,000 acres of farmland were flooded, 20,000 acres of land were damaged or destroyed, and at least 16 died in the flood (the phrasing suggests these were deaths from the Vanport community); estimates for total deaths from the flood go as high as 102. Among the damage was the complete destruction of Vanport, in the Portland metropolitan area, which was the second largest city in Oregon at the time.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/vanport-oregon-how-countrys-largest-housing-project-vanished-day-180954040/ Geiling Natasha How Oregon's Second Largest City Vanished in a Day Smithsonian Magazine February 18, 2015 January 12, 2022 January 12, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220112205938/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/vanport-oregon-how-countrys-largest-housing-project-vanished-day-180954040/ live The flood was largely caused by rapid melting of above-average snowpack by heavy precipitation and warm temperatures. It remains the second largest flood recorded on the river. Meteorological synopsis Above average snowfall was recorded in the mountains of the Columbia River watershed during the winter of 1947–48 resulting from more low pressure systems traversing the Pacific Northwest than normal. In early April, scientists at the University of Washington reported that snowpack was 20 to 40 percent deeper than average. Unusually cold temperatures were recorded in Eastern Washington during the spring months, helping deep snow to remain in place into May. During this time, the flood risk was noted by several government agencies, including the Department of Lands and Forests in British Columbia and the U.S. Weather Bureau. From March 1 to May 1, the mean temperature at the Tri-Cities was recorded as 47.4 F C, compared to a 30-year average of 50.7 F C at the time. Snow was recorded in places like Pullman into late April.https://damfailures.org/case-study/columbia-river-levees-at-vanport-oregon-1948/ Columbia River Levees at Vanport (Oregon, 1948) Walter Meghan Association of Dam Safety Officials January 12, 2021 February 28, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210228094621/https://damfailures.org/case-study/columbia-river-levees-at-vanport-oregon-1948/ live https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ xmACIS2 NOAA Regional Climate Centers January 12, 2022 August 15, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190815183401/http://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ live This air was generally sourced from around 60°N in latitude, which is much further north than what is expected for the time of year, driven by persistent low pressure over the Canadian Rockies. The weather pattern shifted in mid-May as low pressure set up off the coast of Northern California and a ridge of high pressure in the interior of North America. This brought warmer and more moist conditions with rain and thunderstorms. Flood Heavy rain caused the Columbia and its tributaries to rise, reaching 8 ft m above flood stage in the Portland area by May 25. At this point, levees generally contained the rivers, but another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms the following week brought another rise. One of these occurred on May 27, causing a flash flood on Dry Creek in Ephrata, Washington, where 60 blocks were damaged. Silt coming into the city blocked the storm drains, limiting how much water the city's infrastructure could carry.https://www.ephrata.org/departments/community_development/floodplain_management/index.php Floodplain Management City of Ephrata, Washington January 12, 2022 January 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220113012538/https://www.ephrata.org/departments/community_development/floodplain_management/index.php live On May 28, some larger tributaries of the Columbia had flooded. Temporary levees were built in Cle Elum and Ellensburg in an attempt to keep the Yakima River from flooding those communities. The Kootenai River flooded 25000 acre ha of farmland in the Idaho Panhandle. Record setting flooding from the Columbia itself was observed in the Tri-Cities, Portland metropolitan area, and in Trail, British Columbia on May 30 and 31.https://www.historylink.org/File/5675 Flood inundates Kennewick and Richland on May 31, 1948 Gibson Elizabeth March 31, 2004 HistoryLink January 12, 2022 December 31, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191231230641/https://www.historylink.org/File/5675 live https://www.trailtimes.ca/our-town/trail-celebrates-120-years-city-battles-swollen-columbia-river-in-june-1948/ Regnier Sheri Trail Celebrates 120 Years - City battles swollen Columbia River in June 1948 Trail Times June 17, 2015 January 12, 2022 January 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220113000857/https://www.trailtimes.ca/our-town/trail-celebrates-120-years-city-battles-swollen-columbia-river-in-june-1948/ live Many streamflow gauges on larger waterways like the Columbia recorded near-record high discharge rates, only being beat by major flooding in 1894 and 1876. Major flooding in 1849 likely also exceeded the 1948 peak but reliable records do not extend that far into the past for the area. The average spring discharge of the Columbia River in 1948 was 540,000 ft3/sec (15,000 m3/sec), but during the flooding values peaked around 1.01 million ft3/sec (28,600 m3/sec) and remained high for several weeks. Gauges on tributaries generally did not approach records, as smaller waterways see greater flooding from more localized events than is seen in most regional events like the 1948 flooding. Major flooding from rapid snowmelt was also observed in other major watersheds in the region, including the Fraser River which inundated portions of the Vancouver area leaving 1500 people homeless.https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/from-the-archives-the-1894-and-1948-fraser-valley-floods Luymes Glenda From the Archives: The 1894 and 1948 Fraser Valley floods Vancouver Sun November 17, 2021 January 12, 2022 November 30, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211130013714/https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/from-the-archives-the-1894-and-1948-fraser-valley-floods live The Snake River, which is the largest tributary to the Columbia, and its watershed did not experience widespread flooding thanks to lower snowpack in East Idaho and far western Wyoming. Damage Several cities experienced extensive damage during the 1948 flooding with large rural areas also ending up under water. Many railroad tracks, power, telephone, and telegraph lines were out of service for a period following the flood. Small cities in the Inland Northwest, such as Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Union, Oregon, and Libby, Montana were flooded by the rivers and creeks they sit on. Washed out and flooded roads isolated other areas, such as the Methow Valley in Northern Washington. Flooding in these areas generally began the week of May 23 and lasted for several days. Floodwaters gradually continued downstream, forcing evacuations around the Tri-Cities as early as May 27 and closing the highway between The Dalles and Cascade Locks in Oregon on the 28th. Despite frequent assurances from officials, levees protecting Vanport, a World War II era housing project, failed, completely destroying the city.Kahan James P. Wu Mengjie Hajiamiri Sara Knopman Debra From Flood Control to Integrated Water Rescue Management: Lessons for the Gulf Coast from Flooding in Other Places in the Last Sixty Years 2006 RAND Corporation 7–13 Rather than having the neighborhoods rebuilt, this low area between the Columbia River and Columbia Slough is occupied by the Portland International Raceway, a golf course, and some businesses. Vanport remained underwater for several weeks following the levee burst.https://www.portlandoregon.gov/archives/article/24762 1948 Aerial of Vanport flooded June 15, 1948 City of Portland Archives & Records Management January 12, 2022 January 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220113010141/https://www.portlandoregon.gov/archives/article/24762 live Flooding in the Tri-Cities peaked on May 31 with Kennewick taking the brunt of the water because a larger portion of the city lies at a lower elevation compared to Pasco and Richland. While Kennewick's downtown was being cleaned up, many businesses relocated to a temporary building set up for them to continue to operate despite the damage. The Richland Wye, adjacent to Bateman Island and parts of downtown Richland also flooded. Closures on U.S. Route 410 caused problems for commuters, especially people living in Kennewick and Pasco but working on the Hanford Site. Response thumb|The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River near The Dalles, Oregon In the United States, National Guard troops deployed throughout the region to assist with disaster relief during and after the flood. President Harry Truman visited Washington on a campaign trip in June 1948. During his visit, he toured flood damaged areas around the Portland metro area and Wenatchee. Truman expressed support for more extensive flood control infrastructure in the Northwest while speaking in Seattle, but a speech he gave in Portland a few days later focused more on development of the river for commerce and focused less on flooding and safety.https://www.historylink.org/File/5466 President Harry S. Truman begins an early campaign trip across Washington on June 9, 1948 HistoryLink June 4, 2003 January 12, 2022 January 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220113000853/https://www.historylink.org/File/5466 live Throughout the flooded area, waterways were altered to limit the chances of future flooding. A joint commission involving the United States and Canada had been formed in 1944 to study improvements that could be made to the Columbia River system, and it gained further urgency following the flooding in 1948. The result of this commission was the Columbia River Treaty, which was ratified between the two nations in 1964.Columbia River Treaty History and 2014/2024 Review Bonneville Power Administration http://www.bpa.gov/Corporate/pubs/Columbia_River_Treaty_Review_-_April_2008.pdf January 12, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20110604002805/http://www.bpa.gov/Corporate/pubs/Columbia_River_Treaty_Review_-_April_2008.pdf 4 June 2011 dead Smaller waterways were also altered, such as in Kimberley, British Columbia where Mark Creek was diverted into a flume.https://www.kimberley.ca/mark-creek-flume-stream-rehabilitation-naturalization-project Mark Creek Flume: Stream Rehabilitation & Naturalization Project City of Kimberley January 12, 2022 January 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220113000857/https://www.kimberley.ca/mark-creek-flume-stream-rehabilitation-naturalization-project live Partially in response to the 1948 floods, the United States Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1950 funding the construction of several new dams and levee systems in the Columbia River watershed. Multiple dams owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers resulted from this act including The Dalles Dam, as well as dams owned by sub-national entities like Priest Rapids Dam. https://www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/omnibus/r&ha1950.pdf Public Law 516-81st Congress U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service March 15, 2020 March 27, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210327054030/https://www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/omnibus/r%26ha1950.pdf live As a result of these projects, major flooding on the Columbia River is far less likely. In popular culture These songs were inspired by the flood. "Here Comes Sunshine", written by Robert Hunter and Jerry GarciaThe Annotated "Here Comes Sunshine" http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/hcsu.html artsites.ucsc.edu UC Santa Cruz 21 October 2023 Ex"Vanport's Flood", written by Woody GuthrieSchmid Thacher Lost Woody Guthrie Song Tells Story of 'Vanport's Flood' https://www.theskanner.com/news/northwest/24809-lost-woody-guthrie-song-tells-story-of-vanport-s-flood The Skanner News The Skanner News 21 October 2023 en-gb 22 December 2016 References External links Vanport flood photographs, 1948 - OHS Digital Collections https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/org-lot-131-vanport-flood-photographs-collection-1948 30 October 2025 Category:Meteorological events in 1948 Category:1948 natural disasters in the United States Columbia River flood Columbia River flood Category:May 1948 in Canada Category:June 1948 in Canada Category:1940s floods in the United States Category:Columbia River Category:Floods in British Columbia Category:Natural disasters in Idaho Category:Natural disasters in Montana Category:Floods in Oregon Category:Floods in Washington (state)