Heavy Rain in Washington, February 28, 2001

Name: Heavy Rain in Washington, February 28, 2001
Start: 2001-02-28T11:00
End: 2001-02-28T17:00
Location: Washington

February 28, 2001 · NWS SEW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An earthquake triggered a mudslide that damaged a home. The slide also blocked the Cedar River, which then backed up and flooded a road, forcing its closure.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $200,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS SEW wrote it up.

An earthquake triggered a mudslide that damaged a home. The slide also blocked the Cedar River, which then backed up and flooded a road, forcing its closure.

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 Feb 28, 9:40 AM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 9:40 AM PST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
940 AM PST WED FEB 28 2001

SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS WEAKENING COLD FRONT MOVING INTO WESTERN
WASHINGTON. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE THAT HAS BEEN PROTECTING THE AREA NOW
EAST OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WITH WV IMAGERY PUTTING THE RIDGE AXIS
OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AT 16Z. FRONT PASSED BUOY 5 AROUND 11Z AND
MOVED THROUGH BUOY 206 AROUND 15Z. SURFACE PRESSURES STILL FALLING
ALONG THE COAST BUT WINDS AT DESTRUCTION ISLAND WHICH WERE SOUTHEAST
ARE NOW SOUTH INDICATING FRONT IS SOON TO ARRIVE THERE. WHAT IS LEFT
OF THE FRONT MOVING THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS AFTERNOON WITH
PLENTY OF CLOUD COVER BUT LITTLE PRECIP EXPECTED. WITH THE UPPER
RIDGE EAST OF THE AREA THIS WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE NEXT SYSTEM
MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC. SATELLITE IMAGERY PUTS SURFACE LOW NEAR
49N/154W AT 16Z. MODELS LOOK GOOD AT 6 HOUR MARK WITH POSITION OF THE
LOW BUT SHIP REPORTS IN THE VICINITY INDICATE LOW A LITTLE DEEPER
THAN PROGGED. 12Z RUNS SIMILAR TO THE 00Z RUNS WITH PRECIP SPREADING
OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. SATELLITE IMAGERY
SUGGESTS THAT PRECIP FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT IS ALREADY
FURTHER EAST THAN THE MODELS INDICATE. THIS PLUS GOOD RUN TO RUN
CONSISTENCY IN THE MODELS AND NEW GUIDANCE INCREASING THE POPS FOR
THURSDAY WILL GO WITH THE TREND. FELTON

KUIL 318 KSEA 115 KOLM 115

.SEW...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COAST FOR HEAVY SWELL.

.KATX...VCP32/CSR32...OPERATIONAL.

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, W King/X Se Kitsap

When: February 28, 11:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
Where: W King/X Se Kitsap forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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: 5233761.