A quick-moving low pressure system moved across the Palouse early on the morning of December 5, dumping heavy snow in a relatively small area near the path of the low pressure circulation center. 5" of snow.
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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.
A quick-moving low pressure system moved across the Palouse early on the morning of December 5, dumping heavy snow in a relatively small area near the path of the low pressure circulation center. Saint John measured 4.5" of snow.
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 4, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON 830 PM PST TUE DEC 4 2001 AREA REMAINS NORTH OF STRONG GULF AK NW JET STREAM DRIVING INTO NCNTRL WEST COAST. JET STREAK IS SPINNING UP SURFACE LOW WHICH IS TO TRACK ACROSS E CNTRL WA AND PANHANDLE LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. WILL HAVE TO ISSUE SNOW ADVISORY FOR SPOKANE/COEUR DALENE AREAS AND POINTS SOUTH INTO THE WA/ID PALOUSE. GIVEN SATELLITE SIGNATURE WITH ALREADY APPARENT LOW CIRCULATION JUST OFF WA WEST COAST AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SUPPORTING AVN MODEL VERY WELL. ETA TOO WEAK WITH THIS FEATURE SO FAR. AVN QPFS SUPPORT SNOW ADVISORY AT LEAST FOR 2-4 INCHES FOR THE VALLEYS BUT MAY BE LOCALIZED AREAS WITH AN INCH OR TWO MORE THAN 2-4 NEAR THE LOW CIRCULATION ITSELF. THIS SNOW ADVISORY IS NOT RELATED TO THE WINTER STORM WATCH ALREADY IN PLACE FOR THE NE MTNS OF WA AND THE NRN PANHANDLE MTNS. THAT WATCH STILL LOOKS OK AND WILL CONTINUE THIS AS WELL SINCE EXPECTING YET ANOTHER STRONGER WEATHER SYSTEM WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY WITH SNOW/RAIN/WIND ESPECIALLY FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS OF WA AND THE PANHANDLE. REMAINING AREAS SUCH AS BASIN/EAST SLOPES SHOULD GET A LITTLE SNOW BUT QUICKLY DOWN SLOPE AS THE SURFACE LOW PUSHES THROUGH. UPDATES TO ZONES WILL INCLUDE ADVISORIES AND PRE-FRONTAL SHOWERS MOVING THROUGH THE PANHANDLE THIS EVENING. TC ...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 025/034/028/038/028/038 887777 COE 025/034/028/036/026/036 887777 PUW 026/034/028/037/027/037 887777 LWS 034/041/037/044/037/044 777777 CQV 027/038/030/039/030/039 887877 SPT 025/032/029/034/029/034 887877 WWP 025/031/028/034/028/034 887877 EAT 028/037/032/039/032/040 767655 MWH 029/038/032/041/032/041 767655 .OTX...WINTER STORM WATCH ISSUED FOR LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR WASHINGTON ZONES 31 38 AND 37 AND IDAHO ZONES 1 AND 4. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW SPOKANE/COEUR DALENE...PALOUSE AND CENTRAL PANHANDLE VALLEYS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 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: 5273830.