Blizzard, Spokane Area
- When
- December 29, 3:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Spokane Area forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Washington, December 29, 1996
State routes in Okanogan were closed for two days as a blizzard dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow. Scores of motorists got stuck as snow removal crew tried to keep up with drifting snow from winds 20 to 35 mph.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS SEW wrote it up.
State routes in Okanogan were closed for two days as a blizzard dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow. Scores of motorists got stuck as snow removal crew tried to keep up with drifting snow from winds 20 to 35 mph. Several businesses were closed and there were power outages, but not many car accidents as most people stayed indoors. Fortunately there were no fires because the fire department was snowed in. The city was already over budget for snow removal and they assumed that losses from hay and agriculture would add up in the coming year.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, December 29, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Washington, December 29 to 31, 1996
- Flood in Washington, December 29 to 31, 1996
- Ice Storm in Washington, December 29 to 30, 1996
- Heavy Rain in California, December 29, 1996
- High Wind in Nevada, December 29, 1996
- High Wind in Nevada, December 29, 1996
- High Wind in Nevada, December 29, 1996
- Flooding in California, December 29 to 31, 1996
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 29, 1996
- Winter Storm in Montana, December 29, 1996
- Winter Storm in Montana, December 29, 1996
More
Every storm in Washington in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577230.