Winter Storm in Washington, December 1, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Washington, December 1, 2001
Start: 2001-12-01T00:00
End: 2001-12-01T12:00
Location: Washington

December 1, 2001 · NWS OTX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An upper low level pressure trough moved across eastern Washington, bringing heavy snow to the mountain areas in the northeast part of the state. While heavy snow typically takes place in this area several times each winter, this storm was unusually damaging when it dumped heavy, wet, sticky snow followed by wind gusts of 20 to 30 miles an hour.

Where it happened

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.

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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

An upper low level pressure trough moved across eastern Washington, bringing heavy snow to the mountain areas in the northeast part of the state. The following area some of the heavier snowfall totals: 49 North Ski Area...31", Mount Spokane Ski Area...12", Republic...9.5", Bodie Mountain...9.5", Newport...8.5", Chesaw...5", Chewelah...4.5", and Colville...3".While heavy snow typically takes place in this area several times each winter, this storm was unusually damaging when it dumped heavy, wet, sticky snow followed by wind gusts of 20 to 30 miles an hour. This combination was responsible for downing hundreds of trees and numerous power lines. Some trees fell on homes, causing mostly minor structural damage. The hardest hit area was in a corridor from Wellpinit to Springdale to Newport. In Pend Oreille County, three-quarters of the county lost electricity. Some residents were without power for around a week, and utility crews compared the amount of damage to that caused by the famous ice storm in November 1996.

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, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 10:02 PM PST, 1 hour 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

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Ne Okanogan/Ferry

When: December 1, 12:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Ne Okanogan/Ferry forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.510, -119.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane

When: December 1, 12:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Washington in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5273764, 5273765.