Richland Submerged in Sudden Thaw
A rapid temperature rise melts deep snow, turning Richland streets into lakes and threatening the town's infrastructure.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The chinook which struck Richland the first of the week has played havoc with the snow and as a result the best means of navigation is by boat—or, if you are a good swimmer, the going is good. The streets and roads are literally lakes while nearly every cellar in town is full of water. Grave danger to bridges and flumes may result from this thaw as there has been such an immense amount of snow on the ground and the ground is frozen at least a foot below the surface, making it practically impossible for the water to soak through the crust. Hence it has to lie on the top and seek places of lowest level. When the Yakima River begins to rise it is feared that there will be serious trouble and everyone is preparing for a flood.
“The streets and roads are literally lakes while nearly every cellar in town is full of water.”
Flood management and infrastructure resilience remain critical in the Tri-Cities. The 1916 account reminds us of how vulnerable early agricultural towns were to the rapid seasonal transitions common to the desert climate.
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