High Wind in Washington, December 15 to 16, 2001

Name: High Wind in Washington, December 15 to 16, 2001
Start: 2001-12-15T18:00
End: 2001-12-16T19:00
Location: Washington

December 15 to 16, 2001 · NWS SEW · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A strong pressure gradient developed over NW Washington for several days. Sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 effected parts of Western Washington at times during the 15th and 16th.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.2 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 SEW wrote it up.

A strong pressure gradient developed over NW Washington for several days. Sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 effected parts of Western Washington at times during the 15th and 16th. Keystone ferry service was suspended at times and power was knocked out over parts of Skagit and Island counties. One man died when a tree fell on his car while he was driving in Skagit County.

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 Seattle, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 15, 2:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 2:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
230 PM PST SAT DEC 15 2001

.SYNOPSIS...AN APPROACHING WARM FRONT WITH PLENTY OF RAIN AND WIND
WILL MOVE ONSHORE THIS EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO SWING ONSHORE LATE SUNDAY...BRINGING AN END TO THIS WET AND WINDY
EVENT. A COOLER AIR MASS IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING
SHOWERS WITH SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS MONDAY. MORE PACIFIC WEATHER
SYSTEMS WILL MAINTAIN WET WEATHER THE REST OF NEXT WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...WARM ADVECTION IS POURING INTO THE AREA AS THE WARM
FRONT APPROACHES. RAIN INTENSITY TO PICK UP THIS EVE WITH 850MB WINDS
NEAR 60 KT. SNOW LEVEL TO RISE IN CASCDS. BUT WILL ISSUE A WINTER
STORM WARNING UP ABV THE SNOW LEVEL..COMBINED WITH THE STRONG HIGHER
ELEV WINDS. LIKELY A MIX OF FRZG RAIN THIS EVENING.

THE BAROCLINIC ZONE TO LINGER OVER US LATER TONIGHT..WAITING FOR THE
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT NOW VC 140W TO ARRIVE LATE SUN. GOOD DARKENING
SHOWING INTENSIFICATION ON THE WATER VAPOR PICS WITH THIS SYSTEM.
HENCE..YET MORE RAIN SUN. QPF AMTS IN THE 2-5 INCH BRACKET FOR
LOWLANDS AND UP TO 8 INCHES OR SO IN THE MTNS. FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT.
LIKELY TO HAVE PLENTY OF RIVERS IN FLOOD SUN AND MON.

PROGS DIFFER A BIT ON OVERALL SUN SOLUTION. PROGS AGREE ON COLD FRONT
LATE SUN..BUT AVN AND CANADIAN DEVELOP A SURFACE LOW OFF CAPE
FLATTERY MIDDAY SUN AND ROTATE IT ACROSS VRISL SUN EVE. WILL KEEP THE
WIND WATCH FOR THE COAST. FOLLOWING SHIFTS SHOULD CONSIDER IT FOR THE
N INTERIOR SUN EVE..BEARS WATCHING. THIS WEATHER COMBINED WITH HIGH
TIDES AM MON ANOTHER CONCERN THAT ALSO BEARS WATCHING.

ASSOCIATED UPPER TROF TO MOVE ONSHORE MON AM. COOLER MORE SHOWERY
WEATHER MON WITH SNOW LEVEL BELOW THE PASSES.

IN EXTENDED..ZONAL PATTERN CONTINUES. NEXT SYSTEMS DUE TUE AND AGAIN
WED. MRF AND ECMWF SIMILAR IN SHOWING A TROF TO MOVE ONSHORE THU WITH
SOME RIDGING ALOFT FRI..BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES SAT.
UIL +++9  SEA +++7  OLM +++8    BUEHNER

.SEW...GALE WARNING...ALL WATERS.
       WINTER STORM WARNING CASCADES ABOVE 4000 TO 5000 FEET TONIGHT.
       HIGH WIND WATCH COAST SUNDAY.

.KATX...VCP21/CSR21...OPERATIONAL.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northwest Interior

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Northwest Interior forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Western Whatcom

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Western Whatcom forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Central Coast

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Central Coast forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, North Coast

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: North Coast forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Admiralty Inlet Area

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Admiralty Inlet Area forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, San Juan

When: December 15, 6:00 PM PST to December 16, 7:00 PM PST
Where: San Juan forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 48.531, -123.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Wind, North Coast	2001-12-16	39	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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

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: 5273944, 5273945, 5273946, 5274570, 5274571, 5274572.