THE DIRT: December flooding on the Coeur d’Alene River — An unusual early-season event
Courtesy photo
The flood event that struck the Coeur d’Alene River Basin around Dec. 11, 2025, was unusual, not because flooding itself is rare in North Idaho, but because of when and how it occurred.
December 2025 brought historically high air temperatures and was the second-wettest December on record at most SNOTEL sites in the Basin. A SNOTEL site is an automated, remote station that measures snowpack, precipitation, and temperature to track water-supply conditions, especially in mountain watersheds. While rain-on-snow events are fairly common in the Coeur d’Alene River watershed, this one stood out due to its sheer magnitude and geographic reach. Rain fell across nearly all elevation bands, including the highest elevations that typically remain cold enough to store snow well into winter. Under normal conditions, rain at lower elevations might trigger some snowmelt, but this event caused widespread melt across the Basin.
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