Washington, 2001

High Wind in Washington, December 1, 2001

December 1, 2001 · NWS OTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong low pressure system moved across British Columbia on December 1, bringing high winds to the northeast Blue Mountains. The Alder Ridge RAWS site measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph from the southwest at 700 AM PST.

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

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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 OTX wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system moved across British Columbia on December 1, bringing high winds to the northeast Blue Mountains. The Alder Ridge RAWS site measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph from the southwest at 700 AM PST.

What forecasters said that day

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 Nov 30, 10:02 PM PST, 4 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 10:02 PM PST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
830 PM PST FRI NOV 30 2001

A DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS CENTERED NEAR 46N/135W THIS EVENING.
WARM ADVECTION OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST IS BRINGING BANDS OF
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA AT THIS TIME. THE SNOW LEVEL IS HOVERING
AROUND 2000 FEET AS THE SPOKANE AIRPORT HAS REMAINED SNOW ALL EVENING
BUT FELTS FIELD HAS BEEN A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW. THE WARM ADVECTION
PATTERN WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO
THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS WILL KEEP SNOW FALLING OVER THE NORTHERN
ZONES AND A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW FURTHER SOUTH. THEREFORE WILL KEEP
THE ADVISORIES GOING THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR NORTHERN LOCATIONS BELOW
3000 FEET. BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING 850MB TEMPS RISE TO ZERO DEGREES
CELSIUS AND ABOVE SO AREAS SPOKANE SOUTHWARD SHOULD BE IN THE WARM
SECTOR AND BE MOSTLY RAIN. AREAS FURTHER NORTH WILL HAVE A HARDER
TIME SCOURING OUT THE COLD AIR AND SHOULD REMAIN SNOW THROUGH THE
DAY. BY SATURDAY EVENING...THIS SYSTEM WILL BE EAST OF THE AREA AND
THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN TAPERING OFF. 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 033/038/029/034/023/033 ++6215
COE 032/037/029/034/022/032 ++7215
PUW 033/040/031/036/021/031 +86226
LWS 036/045/035/041/030/039 576236
CQV 031/037/029/032/022/034 ++8313
SPT 031/035/030/032/023/032 ++9313
WWP 029/036/031/034/022/030 9+9326
EAT 034/042/030/034/024/028 873024
MWH 035/044/031/035/024/030 875036

.OTX...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND SATURDAY FOR NORTHERN CASCADES...
       NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS OF WA...NORTH ID PANHANDLE AND OKANOGAN
       VALLEY.
    ...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR SPOKANE/COEUR DALENE.
    ...HIGH WIND WATCH SATURDAY FOR NORTHEAST BLUE MOUNTAINS.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, S Garfield/Sw Asotin

When
December 1, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where
S Garfield/Sw Asotin forecast zone
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2001

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: 5273766.