Strong winds blew throughout the night along the eastern slopes of the Washington Cascades, the Columbia Basin, and the Blue Mountains of Washington. At 10:35 pm, a spotter 4 miles east of Benton City measured wind gusts as high as 60 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.
Strong winds blew throughout the night along the eastern slopes of the Washington Cascades, the Columbia Basin, and the Blue Mountains of Washington. At 10:35 pm, a spotter 4 miles east of Benton City measured wind gusts as high as 60 mph. Overnight, high winds blew several walls down within a partially completed home in Kennewick. In Richland, several trees were lost and several minor accidents were reported due to winds and slick roads. In the Blue Mountains, downed trees blocked the access road between Dayton and Ski Bluewood. The ski resort was closed the next day as the road was cleared. High winds and slick conditions in Kittitas County closed Interstate-90 for much of the morning. A power outage affected around 1000 customers in Easton and western Cle Elum. This outage led to the closing of schools in Easton.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2000
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: 5165956, 5165957, 5165958.