Summary of events for March 13 2001:An upper level low with lots of cold air aloft moved across the Northwest on March 13, bringing unstable conditions to the region. Meanwhile, a surface low moving across southern British Columbia brought strong sustained gradient winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour to much of the Idaho panhandle that afternoon.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 OTX wrote it up.
Summary of events for March 13 2001:An upper level low with lots of cold air aloft moved across the Northwest on March 13, bringing unstable conditions to the region. Meanwhile, a surface low moving across southern British Columbia brought strong sustained gradient winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour to much of the Idaho panhandle that afternoon. The combination of gradient winds and outflow from showers and thunderstorms caused minor wind damage and marginally severe wind gusts. For reference, most peak wind gusts and damage described on this date were associated with convective elements. Damage caused by elements containing cloud-to-ground lightning have been counted as "Thunderstorm Wind" events, while damage caused by elements containing NO cloud-to-ground lightning have been counted as "High Wind" events.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 13, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
230 PM PST TUE MAR 13 2001
SHORTWAVE AXIS EXPECTED TO PUSH QUICKLY THROUGH THE REGION THIS
EVENING INTO TONIGHT. LOWER LEVEL FRONTAL FEATURE IS LAGGING WELL
BEHIND UPPER FRONT WITH CUMULUS CELLS MARKING THE ADVANCE OF PACIFIC
AIR MARCHING THROUGH THE PUGET SOUND. INSTABILITY UP TO 8 C/KM ALOFT
SUPPORTED BY A SOUTHEASTWARD SLIDING 500 MB TEMPERATURE COLD POOL
WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY DEEP TO ALLOW UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE TO SPREAD
EASTWARD ASSISTING THE UPSLOPE AREAS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT. SNOW
LEVELS ABOVE 4000 FEET WILL DROP QUICKLY THIS EVENING ALLOWING FOR
SOME SNOW SHOWERS ON THE VALLEY FLOORS WITH A SLIGHT ACCUMULATION
BEFORE TAPERING OFF...WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES REASONABLE FOR THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW SETS UP ALOFT ENDING THE SHOWERS
ACROSS ALL BUT THE NORTHEAST/PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS BY LATE TONIGHT.
CONTINUING THE WIND ADVISORY ACROSS THE BASIN AS FLOW BECOMES
WESTERLY/NORTHWESTERLY AND CHANNELS THROUGH THE EAST SLOPE VALLEYS.
WINDS WILL ALSO ABATE OVERNIGHT ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON...
CONTINUING GUSTY WINDS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST/PANHANDLE MOUNTAINS.
MAINLY DRY WEATHER WITH SEASONABLY COOL TEMPERATURES IN STORE FOR THE
BASINS...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW...FOR WEDNESDAY.
ANOTHER FAST-MOVING SYSTEM HEADS INTO THE WASHINGTON COAST BY LATE
THURSDAY. ETA/AVN ARE IN GOOD TIMING AGREEMENT WITH THE FASTER PACE
OF THIS NEGATIVELY-TILTED SYSTEM...WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY A DIGGING
JET OFF THE WA/OR COAST IN EXCESS OF 130 KT. SHARP RIDGE IN ADVANCE
AMPLIFIES AND ALSO TILTS...GETTING NUDGED THROUGH THE IDAHO
PANHANDLE. SURFACE REFLECTION HAS A SHORT HISTORY BEFORE HEADING
SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHERN OREGON BY LATE TUESDAY. WILL INDICATE
INCREASED CLOUDINESS ACROSS THE BOARD THURSDAY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE
POPS OVER THE WESTERN BASIN AS 850 MB FLOW BECOMES MORE SOUTHERLY. JR
EXTENDED...THE TROUGH THAT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY AND
THURSDAY NIGHT WILL DIG SOUTHWARD ON FRIDAY KEEPING SOME LINGERING
SHOWERS OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. BY SATURDAY A DIRTY RIDGE
DEVELOPS OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST WITH A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES MOVING
THROUGH THE FLOW...THEREFORE THERE IS A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW EACH
DAY THROUGH MONDAY. THE MRF NOW SHOWING A RIDGE DEVELOPING ON TUESDAY
FOR A DRY...WARM DAY THROUGHOUT THE AREA. CC
...THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRODUCT CONCERNING WARNINGS AND FORECASTS
IS VALID ONLY AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE. THE LATEST WARNING AND
FORECAST INFORMATION WILL BE FOUND IN THE APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS...
GEG 030/045/027/046 4101
CQV 031/047/027/049 7311
SPT 030/043/026/045 7311
COE 031/045/026/046 4101
WWP 029/040/025/044 8311
LWS 036/051/033/054 2001
PUW 031/045/028/047 4101
EAT 034/055/033/053 2002
MWH 033/056/031/054 1002
.GEG...WIND ADVISORY THIS EVENING FOR
WATERVILLE PLATEAU
2 WENATCHEE AREA
MOSES LAKE AREA
UPPER COLUMBIA BASINThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds blew down several trees and many larger tree limbs in the Hayden area. Several dozen power customers were without power when trees either blew into power lines or power lines were simply blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, March 2001
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: 5236257.