High Wind, Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca
- When
- January 1, 12:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph)
High Wind in Washington, January 1, 1997
Winds on the Olympic Penisula gusted to 80 mph, downing trees and cutting off power to some residents. Tatoosh Island, just off the coast, had sustained winds of 69 mph.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Winds on the Olympic Penisula gusted to 80 mph, downing trees and cutting off power to some residents. Tatoosh Island, just off the coast, had sustained winds of 69 mph. Highway 101 was impassable at several spots due to flooding, mudslides and fallen trees. Highway 101 near Blyn was covered with 4 feet of water, mainly due to melting snow.
Event by event
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Western Strait of Juan de Fuca
- When
- January 1, 12:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- Western Strait of Juan de Fuca forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph)
High Wind, North Coast
- When
- January 1, 12:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- North Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph)
High Wind, Central Coast
- When
- January 1, 12:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- Central Coast forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in Nevada, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Flooding in Washington, January 1 to 3, 1997
- Flooding in California, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Storm Surge in California, January 1, 1997
- Flooding and High Wind in Oregon, January 1 to 5, 1997
- Drought in Texas, January 1 to 31, 1997
- Flood in California, January 1 to 3, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, January 1, 1997
- Flooding and High Wind in California, January 1 to 3, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, January 1, 1997
- Flood in Oregon, January 1 to 5, 1997
- Flood in California, January 1 to 2, 1997
More
Every storm in Washington in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 1997
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: 5585213, 5585214, 5585215, 5585216.