Washington, 2000

High Wind in Washington, January 16, 2000

January 16, 2000 · NWS SEW · 19 events in 19 counties and zones

Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph blew through most of western Washington knocking out power to 300,000 homes. One man was killed as a tree was blown onto his pickup truck.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
19

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.

Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph blew through most of western Washington knocking out power to 300,000 homes. One man was killed as a tree was blown onto his pickup truck. Ferry service was distrupted and the 520 bridge across Lake Washington was closed for nearly 12 hours. There were dozens of trees downed, some of which fell on homes.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Thurston T X Se/Sw Mason/C&se Grays Harbor/W Lewis

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Thurston T X Se/Sw Mason/C&se Grays Harbor/W Lewis forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.8 million
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, C King/C Pierce/X Ne Thurston/C Lewis

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
C King/C Pierce/X Ne Thurston/C Lewis forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, C Skagit/C Snohomish

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
C Skagit/C Snohomish forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, C&e Whatcom/E Skagit/E Snohmish

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
C&e Whatcom/E Skagit/E Snohmish forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, E King/E Pierce/E Lewis

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
E King/E Pierce/E Lewis forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, E Pacific/W Lewis/Wahkiakum

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
E Pacific/W Lewis/Wahkiakum forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Island/Ne Jefferson

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Island/Ne Jefferson forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Mason T Sw & Nw/Kitsap T X Se/Ec&se Jefferson

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Mason T Sw & Nw/Kitsap T X Se/Ec&se Jefferson forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Nc Clallam

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Nc Clallam forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Ne Clallam

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Ne Clallam forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, S Clallam T X Sw/C Jefferson/Nw Mason/Ne Grays Harbor

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
S Clallam T X Sw/C Jefferson/Nw Mason/Ne Grays Harbor forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, San Juan

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
San Juan forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.531, -123.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sw Snohomish

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Sw Snohomish forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, W Clallam/W Jefferson

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W Clallam/W Jefferson forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, W Grays Harbor

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W Grays Harbor forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, W King/X Se Kitsap

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W King/X Se Kitsap forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, W Pierce

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W Pierce forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, W Skagit/Nw Snohomish

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
W Skagit/Nw Snohomish forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Western Whatcom

When
January 16, 10:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where
Western Whatcom forecast zone
Measured
66 kt (76 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
High Wind, Thurston T X Se/Sw Mason/C&se Grays Harbor/W Lewis2000-01-1619MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

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

More

Every storm in Washington in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2000

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: 5126839, 5126840, 5126841, 5126842, 5126843, 5126844, 5126845, 5126846, 5126847, 5126848, 5126849, 5126850, 5126851, 5126852, 5126853, 5126854, 5126855, 5126856, 5126857.