Washington, 2001

Heavy Snow in Washington, December 13 to 14, 2001

December 13 to 14, 2001 · NWS OTX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system moving along the US/Canada border brought heavy snow to the high elevations of the northeast Blue Mountains and to the mountains of northeast Washington, generally above 4000 feet from the afternoon of December 13 through December 14. 11".

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

A strong low pressure system moving along the US/Canada border brought heavy snow to the high elevations of the northeast Blue Mountains and to the mountains of northeast Washington, generally above 4000 feet from the afternoon of December 13 through December 14. Following are some of the heavy two-day snowfall totals: Spruce Springs SNOTEL site...18.2", Mount Spokane Ski Area...12", 49 North Ski Area...11", and the Bluewood Ski Area...11".

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 Dec 13, 2:05 PM PST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 13, 2:05 PM PST, 55 minutes before
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
205 PM PST THU DEC 13 2001

SHORT TERM...RADAR FILLING UP QUITE WELL WITH RAIN FROM CURRENT
WEATHER SYSTEM MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WINDS
SHOULD KEEP UP AND KEEP OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES FROM COOLING TOO
MUCH. FRIDAY THE COLD AIR COMES IN AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD LOWER
THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS WORDED IN THE ZONES. FRIDAY NIGHT LOOKS QUITE
COOL AND THE DRIEST PART OF THE FORECAST. SATURDAY WARMS UP A
BIT...BUT NOT TOO MUCH AS IT HAS A WAY TO GO FROM FRIDAY NIGHTS LOWS.
WARM OVERRUNNING EVENT ACTUALLY STARTS TO BRING ABOUT WARMING
TEMPERATURES AND THE ONSET OF BREEZY CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT.
CONTINUED WARM AIR ADVECTION RAISES SNOW LEVELS AND IT JUST BECOMES A
MESS ON SUNDAY. DISCOUNTED NUMERICAL GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES AND
RAISED SATURDAY NIGHT TEMPERATURES AS AVN AND ETA PROGG SOUNDINGS ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY BOWED OUT AND WARMED UP WITH MASSIVE WARM AIR ADVECTION
AND WIND. WILL CONTINUE WINTER STORM WARNINGS AS THE FLOW CONTINUES
TO FAVOR HEAVY SNOWS FOR MOUNTAIN ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET IN PARTS
OF EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE.

HYDROWISE...ISSUED A RIVER STATEMENT TO ADDRESS RISING RIVERS AND
LOCALIZED URBAN FLOODING. NO SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED WITH
THIS SYSTEM.

IN THE EXTENDED...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...FAST ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES
ACROSS THE REGION WITH AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE MOUNTAIN SNOW
ABOVE 3500 FEET. VALLEYS WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE MESSY MIXED
PRECIPITATION REGIME...WITH TIMING CRITICAL IN DETERMINING RAIN VS.
SNOW. OUTSIDE OF THE EXTENDED INTO THE LONGER TERM...DECEMBER 21-
27...PATTERN SHIFT IS EXPECTED BY LATE NEXT WEEK LEADING INTO THE
HOLIDAY SEASON...WITH STRONG WESTERN RIDGING EXPECTED TO BUILD WHICH
COULD FINALLY BRING A SIGNIFICANT BREAK TO THE NON STOP STORMS WEVE
SEEN. OF COURSE VALLEYS WILL BE IN LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WITH THIS
PATTERN...BUT MOUNTAINS COULD SEE FANTASTIC WEATHER WITH GREAT SKI
CONDITIONS EXPECTED. CR

...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 034/034/017/025/027/036 +81266
COE 034/034/016/023/025/036 +81266
PUW 034/034/018/026/027/037 981266
LWS 040/040/025/032/035/041 981255
CQV 034/034/014/021/023/036 +92266
SPT 033/033/014/021/023/034 ++3266
WWP 033/033/012/021/023/034 ++3266
EAT 029/030/020/028/029/037 841555
MWH 042/038/018/028/029/040 841555

.OTX...WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES ABOVE 4000 FEET
       THROUGH FRIDAY FOR WA ZONES 37 38 AND ID ZONES 1 4.
       WINTER STORM WARNING FOR WA ZONE 31 FOR TONIGHT THROUGH
       FRIDAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 13, 11:29 AM PST, 3 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE, WA
1129 AM PST THU DEC 13 2001

TIME(PST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0730 AM    BOUNDARY DAM              WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   PEND OREILLE                   5 INCHES

0625 PM    11 E TONASKET             WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/12/01   OKANOGAN                       4 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0525 AM    DEARY                     ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   LATAH                          4 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0855 AM    LOON LAKE                 WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        4 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0600 AM    CLAYTON                   WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        7 INCHES

0600 AM    ALDER CREEK               ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   BENEWAH                        4 INCHES

0700 AM    CHESAW                    WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   OKANOGAN                       6 INCHES

0700 AM    COLVILLE                  WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        4.5 INCHES

0700 AM    DEER PARK                 WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   SPOKANE                        4.3 INCHES

0700 AM    GIFFORD                   WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        4 INCHES

0700 AM    IONE                      WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   PEND OREILLE                   4 INCHES

0700 AM    ONION CREEK               WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        4 INCHES

0700 AM    ORIENT                    WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   FERRY                          4 INCHES

0700 AM    SPRINGDALE                WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   STEVENS                        5 INCHES

0730 AM    SANDPOINT                 ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   BONNER                         4.5 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          CO-OP OBSERVER

0700 AM    PORTHILL                  ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   BOUNDARY                       4 INCHES

0735 PM    REPUBLIC                  WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/12/01   FERRY                          5.3 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM    SPOKANE AIRPORT           WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   SPOKANE                        5.7 INCHES

0900 AM    TONASKET                  WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   OKANOGAN                       6 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0900 AM    OMAK                      WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   OKANOGAN                       5 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0900 AM    OROVILLE                  WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   OKANOGAN                       6 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0900 AM    KELLER                    WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   FERRY                          7 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0930 AM    SPIRIT LAKE               ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   KOOTENAI                       5 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0930 AM    RATHDRUM                  ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   KOOTENAI                       6 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0600 AM    SPOKANE                   WA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   SPOKANE                        4.5 INCHES ON SOUTH HILL
                                          REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE

0800 AM    WALLACE                   ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   SHOSHONE                       4 INCHES

0900 AM    MOYIE SPRINGS             ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   BOUNDARY                       4 INCHES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0800 AM    PRIEST LAKE               ID   HEAVY SNOWFALL
12/13/01   BONNER                         4 INCHES

RJM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Garfield/Sw Asotin

When
December 13, 3:00 PM PST to December 14, 3:00 PM PST
Where
S Garfield/Sw Asotin forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane

When
December 13, 3:00 PM PST to December 14, 3:00 PM PST
Where
Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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: 5273847, 5273848.