Two strong storm systems moved across British Columbia in quick succession from the evening of December 15 through December 17, bringing heavy snowfall totals to mountain locations across mainly north-central Washington. 11".
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.
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.
Two strong storm systems moved across British Columbia in quick succession from the evening of December 15 through December 17, bringing heavy snowfall totals to mountain locations across mainly north-central Washington. The following is a listing of 48-hour snowfall totals: Holden Village...22", 49 North Ski Area...18" and the Moses Mountain SNOTEL site...16.7", Mazama...13", Lake Wenatchee...13", and Stehekin...11".
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 15, 2:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
230 AM PST SAT DEC 15 2001
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BROUGHT COLD DRY AIR TO THE REGION OVERNIGHT.
TEMPERATURES HAVE DROPPED MOSTLY INTO THE 20S WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE
TEENS. THE NEXT SYSTEM TO AFFECT OUR AREA WILL REACH THE WASHINGTON
COAST THIS MORNING. THIS SYSTEM HAS A GOOD FETCH WITH LOTS OF
MOISTURE AND SHOULD BE A REALLY GOOD WEATHER MAKER FOR THE ENTIRE
INLAND NORTHWEST. PRECIPITATION SHOULD SPREAD EASTWARD TODAY AND
REACH THE CASCADE EAST SLOPES BY MIDDAY AND THE REMAINDER OF EASTERN
WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO THIS AFTERNOON. WITH THE CURRENT
TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS PRECIPITATION SHOULD START OUT AS SNOW ALL
AREAS. MODERATE SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW WILL ENHANCE THE SNOWFALL OVER THE
CASCADE EAST SLOPES AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR SNOW FOR TODAY. WITH STRONG WARM ADVECTION OVER THE AREA
TEMPERATURES SHOULD BEGIN TO WARM WITH RISING SNOW LEVELS TONIGHT. AT
THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE TO NEAR 4000 FEET
WITH ALL VALLEY LOCATIONS TURNING OVER TO RAIN BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE NORTHEAST MOUNTAIN VALLEYS WHICH MIGHT HOLD
ONTO THE COLD AIR A BIT LONGER AND NOT CHANGE OVER TO RAIN UNTIL
EARLY MORNING SUNDAY. TIME OF HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION APPEARS TO BE
TONIGHT AND EXPECT A LOT OF SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS OVER THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS. WILL LET THE CURRENT WINTER STORM WATCH STAND FOR
NOW...BUT SHOULD BE UPGRADED TO A WINTER STORM WARNING BY THIS
AFTERNOON. WITH A TIGHT SURFACE GRADIENT AND UPPER LEVEL JET SUPPORT
EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY ALONG WITH THE
RAIN/SNOW. THE MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW REMAINS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY SO MINOR FLOODING MAY BE A CONCERN. CC
.EXTENDED...FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE FORECAST DISTRICT
TUESDAY...FOLLOWED BY A COMPLEX SITUATION MIDWEEK INVOLVING ENERGY
LOADING INTO THE SOUTHERN STREAM. VARIOUS TIMING DIFFERENCES FROM
PROGRESSIVE AVN/MRF TO LESS PROGRESSIVE EUROPEAN TO THE SLOWEST AND
STRONGEST CANADIAN MODEL SOLUTION. JET STREAM SPEEDS OFF CALIFORNIA
ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE EXTREMELY STRONG...YET LARGE UPPER DIVERGENCE
FIELD ACROSS NORTHERN CA INTO OR WILL LIKELY LEAD TO DIFFERENCES IN
LATITUDE OF THE EXPECTED SURFACE LOW NEXT SEVERAL MODEL CYCLES.
THEREFORE CANNOT WHOLEHEARTEDLY GO FOR LIKELY MENTION IN THE WED/THU
TIME FRAME THIS SIDE OF THE CASCADES WITH POSSIBILITY OF SURFACE LOW
ACROSS OREGON AND DRIER DOWNSLOPING OFF THE BITTERROOTS. ATMOSPHERE
SHOULD BE SUFFICIENTLY COLD FOR PRECIPITATION TYPE TO BE SNOW EXCEPT
FOR THE LOWER BASIN ELEVATIONS AND LEWISTON AREA. SHORTWAVE RIDGE MAY
SPELL A DRIER DAY FRIDAY BASIN WHILE NORTHWEST FLOW KEEPS SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE EASTERN ZONES...HOWEVER NEXT SYSTEM IS FAST
APPROACHING WITH GUIDANCE INDICATING PRECIPITATION ALL THE WAY TO THE
CASCADE CREST BY AFTERNOON. WILL LEAVE CHANCE WORDING AT THIS TIME.
JR
...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 030/028/042/038/041 6++77
COE 029/027/040/036/040 6++77
PUW 034/032/043/039/042 6++77
LWS 038/035/048/042/046 38866
CQV 032/030/038/035/040 6++77
SPT 030/026/037/034/037 6++77
WWP 030/025/035/033/035 6++77
EAT 034/032/042/034/038 76565
MWH 037/034/046/038/040 76565
.OTX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW TODAY WA ZONES 41 42 43 44.
...WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR WA ZONES 37 38
AND ID ZONES 1 4.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 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: 5273849, 5273850, 5273851.