Avalanche in Washington, February 17, 2001

Name: Avalanche in Washington, February 17, 2001
Start: 2001-02-17T16:20
End: 2001-02-17T16:20
Location: Washington

February 17, 2001 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 avalanche, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
230 PM PST SAT FEB 17 2001

SATELLITE SHOWS A NICE SWATH OF MOISTURE CIRCULATING AROUND UPPER
LOW...MOISTENING ATMOSPHERE OVER AREA.  AS THE UPPER LOW...CURRENTLY
CENTERED NEAR 42N/133W LIFTS NORTHEAST TONIGHT...IT WILL WEAKEN
QUICKLY AS IT SHEARS APART.  MAIN ENERGY WILL REMAIN WEST OF THE
CASCADES.  HOWEVER...LOBE OF ENERGY WILL TRACK THROUGH AREA
PROVIDING SUFFICIENT LIFT FOR WIDESPREAD BUT GENERALLY LIGHT
PRECIP...MAINLY SNOW OVERNIGHT. HIGHEST PRECIP AMOUNTS EXPECTED OVER
FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS...NAMELY THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN
WASHINGTON CASCADES AND THE BLUES.  SNOW TOTAL SHOULD STILL REMAIN
WELL BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA.  RIDGE WILL REFORM OVER THE AREA ON
SUNDAY AND CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THROUGH MONDAY.  HOWEVER...THE NEXT
SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO BEGIN MOVING INTO THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT ALLOWING
FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP LATE IN THE DAY...MAINLY OVER THE
NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE ZONES. MJB.

IN THE EXTENDED...ABOVE MENTIONED SYSTEM WILL BE THE FIRST IN A
SERIES OF SYSTEMS TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION IN THE UPCOMING WEEK.
MODELS ARE HINTING AT A RIDGE FOR WEDNESDAY...BUT GIVEN THE
UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING OF SYSTEMS...WILL KEEP CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION THROUGH EXTENDED. MEAD

PDT 033  ALW 033  PSC 033  YKM 043

.KPDT...WSR-88D...VCP32/CSR21...OPERATIONAL.

.KPDT|...NONE

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, W Kittitas/W Yakima/W Klickitat T X Sw

When: February 17, 4:20 PM PST
Where: W Kittitas/W Yakima/W Klickitat T X Sw forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

An avalanche killed a man as he was snowmobiling with friends in the mountains north of Cle Elum. According to reports, a 200 foot wide slide occurred about 8 miles northeast of Salmon La Sac Road in the North Fork Teanaway area. This avalanche was likely caused by the softening of snow during a sunny afternoon.

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
Avalanche, W Kittitas/W Yakima/W Klickitat T X Sw	2001-04-17	35	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

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, February 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: 5231767.