Mild southwest flow aloft moving over cool air trapped in the mountain valleys and far eastern portion of eastern Washington brought heavy snow on February 4. Many locations in the upper valleys of the Cascade east slopes received from 8-12".
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Mild southwest flow aloft moving over cool air trapped in the mountain valleys and far eastern portion of eastern Washington brought heavy snow on February 4. Many locations in the upper valleys of the Cascade east slopes received from 8-12". Colder valleys across the northern tier of Washington east of Republic received from 4-8". Locations south of US Hwy 2 changed over to rain before heavy snowfall accumulations could occur. Specific snowfall totals include: Holden Village...11", Lake Wenatchee...11", Mount Spokane Ski Area...10", Mazama...8.5", Chesaw...4.8", Chewelah...4", Colville...4", and north Spokane...4".
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 Feb 3, 8:30 PM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON 830 PM PST SAT FEB 3 2001 MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC HAS MOVED ONTO THE OREGON COAST AT THIS TIME. AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER CALIFORNIA MOVES NORTHWARD THIS BAND OF MOISTURE WILL ALSO GRADUALLY MOVE NORTHWARD. SO FAR THIS EVENING NONE OF THE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM HAS MOVED EAST OF THE CASCADE CREST...BUT AS THE RIDGE AXIS MOVES EASTWARD SO WILL THE PRECIPITATION. EXPECT THIS SYSTEM TO MOVE THROUGH EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT BRINGING RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA. CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING HAVE ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO DROP SO PRECIPITATION WILL START OUT AS SNOW THEN GRADUALLY CHANGE TO RAIN BY MIDDAY SUNDAY...BUT REMAIN SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 3000-3500 FEET. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EXPECT BREEZY CONDITIONS AT THE SURFACE. ALSO STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL FAVOR THE HIGHEST PRECIPITATION TOTALS ACROSS THE IDAHO MOUNTAINS BUT STILL REMAINING BELOW WARNING CRITERIA. THIS SYSTEM WILL THEN PASS TO OUR EAST BY EARLY MONDAY WITH CLEARING SKIES EVERYWHERE EXCEPT THE IDAHO MOUNTAINS AND CASCADE CREST WHERE UPSLOPE FLOW MAY KEEP SOME SHOWERS LINGERING THROUGH THE DAY. CC ...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 025/037/030/037 0661 CQV 025/038/028/038 0661 SPT 026/036/029/036 1663 COE 023/038/031/038 0661 WWP 024/034/027/034 1663 LWS 034/044/037/044 0661 PUW 028/038/031/038 0661 EAT 030/039/031/039 362- MWH 026/041/033/041 363- .GEG...NONE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 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, February 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: 5230006, 5230007, 5230008, 5230009.