Washington, 2001

Drought in Washington, March 14, 2001

March 14, 2001 · NWS SEW · 19 events in 18 counties and zones

October 2000 through March 2001 has been the second driest oct-mar period at Seattle-Tacoma Airport since 1945. 27 inches of precipitation.

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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
19

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.

October 2000 through March 2001 has been the second driest oct-mar period at Seattle-Tacoma Airport since 1945. From October 1st through March 31st, the airport recorded 16.27 inches of precipitation. This is 11.61 inches below normal (58 percent of normal). The snowpack in the Cascades was also running between 55 and 70 percent of normal.

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 Mar 14, 8:40 AM PST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 8:40 AM PST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
840 AM PST WED MAR 14 2001

AWIPS 5.0 INSTALLATION UNDERWAY HERE TODAY.

TRANSITORY WEATHER PATTERN. WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL WINTER? UPPER
RIDGE ALONG 130W THIS MORNING. ONSHORE SURFACE GRADIENTS. RAOBS AND
PILOT REPORTS SHOW TOPS OR MARINE CLOUDS NEAR 5K. GRADIENTS TO EASE
LATER TODAY AND EXPECT A CLEARING TREND THIS AFTERNOON. STILL HAVE
LINGERING UPSLOPE LIGHT SNOW IN CASCDS THIS MORNING.

NEG TILT UPPER TROF NEAR 150W. 12Z ETA/NGM SIMILAR TO 00Z PROGS IN
BRINGING THE TROF ONSHORE THU. ASSOCIATED CDFNT TO PUSH ONSHORE THU.
CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK.
UIL  15+  SEA  128  OLM  129   BUEHNER

.SEW...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COAST FOR SWELL.
.KATX...VCP31/CSR31...OPERATIONAL.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Seattle Metropolitan Area

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Seattle Metropolitan Area forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Central Casade Foothills

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Central Casade Foothills forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Northern Casade Foothills

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Casade Foothills forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, West Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
West Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, West Slopes Central Cascades and Passes

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
West Slopes Central Cascades and Passes forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Southwest Interior

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Southwest Interior forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Admiralty Inlet Area

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Admiralty Inlet Area forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Hood Canal/Kitsap Peninsula

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Hood Canal/Kitsap Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Western Strait of Juan de Fuca

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Western Strait of Juan de Fuca forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Olympics

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Olympics forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, San Juan

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
San Juan forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates
48.531, -123.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Everett and Vicinity

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Everett and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Southwest Interior

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Southwest Interior forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, North Coast

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
North Coast forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Central Coast

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Central Coast forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Tacoma Area

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Tacoma Area forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Northwest Interior

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Northwest Interior forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

Drought, Western Whatcom

When
March 14, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Western Whatcom forecast zone
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Washington in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, March 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: 5233762, 5233763, 5233764, 5233765, 5233766, 5233767, 5233768, 5233769, 5233770, 5233771, 5233900, 5233901, 5233902, 5233903, 5233904, 5233905, 5233906, 5233907, 5233908.