Winter Storm in Washington, November 13 to 15, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Washington, November 13 to 15, 2001
Start: 2001-11-13T06:00
End: 2001-11-15T20:00
Location: Washington

November 13 to 15, 2001 · NWS PQR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A Pacific storm brought high winds and heavy rains to the area. More than 500 customers lost power due mainly to fallen trees and downed limbs in Ocean Park, Ilwaco, and the Cape Disappointment.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 PQR wrote it up.

A Pacific storm brought high winds and heavy rains to the area. More than 500 customers lost power due mainly to fallen trees and downed limbs in Ocean Park, Ilwaco, and the Cape Disappointment. In Wahkiakum County, Highway 4 was closed with 3 feet of water at Seal River, and at Grays River and Altoona Road. In Cowlitz County, 4100 lost power, including the entire town of Toutle. In 24 hours South Bend recorded 4.30 inches of rain, Long Beach 3.79 inches, and Francis in the Coastal Mountains reported 4.30 inches.

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 Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 13, 2:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 13, 2:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 AM PST TUE NOV 13 2001

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
BEGINNING TODAY AND CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY...WITH STRONG WINDS
ALONG THE OREGON COAST AND OVER THE MOUNTAINS. RAIN WILL DECREASE
SOME WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONTAL BAND
LIFTS NORTH OF THE AREA...THEN RETURN AS THE FRONT SHIFTS INLAND ON
THURSDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...APPEARS LAST BAND OF RAIN MOVING OVER NORTH PART OF CWA
AS REMNANTS OF TROUGH MOVE THROUGH AREA. PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE
MINIMAL AFTER THIS BAND BUT INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE NEXT
SYSTEM.  THIS SYSTEM IS ASSOCIATED WITH STRONG FLOW (150KT JET)
AROUND A STACKED LOW NEAR THE GULF OF AK. FULL GALES OVER THE MARINE
ZONES TODAY THRU WED...AND POSSIBLY STORM FORCE WINDS TONIGHT AND
WED.  CURRENT HIGH WIND WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND NORTH OREGON COAST
ZONES WILL BE UPGRADED TO HIGH WIND WARNING COVERING THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.  WINDS COULD AGAIN REACH HIGH WIND CRITERIA WED
AFTERNOON/EVENING AS A LOW DEVELOPS OFFSHORE NR 45N/130W AND MOVES N
TO NEAR VANCOUVER ISLAND WED NIGHT.

RAINFALL WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AS WARM FRONT MOVES INTO THE
AREA. IT APPEARS THAT HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL FALL TONIGHT AND WED
MORNING WITH MAIN FOCUS OF HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE NORTH OREGON
COASTAL/SW WA ZONES. THIS FOCUS WILL SHIFT NORTH OF CWA WED AFTERNOON
AS PCPN LIFTS NORTH IN RESPONSE TO DEVELOPING WAVE OFFSHORE. WILL CUT
BACK ON POPS AND ADJUST WORDING FOR WED NIGHT/THU AM PERIODS TO
REFLECT THIS.  RIVERS FOR THE NORTH COASTAL RANGE AND SW WA WILL SEE
SIGNIFICANT RISES IN RIVER LEVELS BUT CURRENT FORECASTS DO NOT BRING
LEVELS TO NEAR BANK FULL AT BEST.

.LONG TERM...WILL KEEP CURRENT FORECAST WITH SHOWERS ON FRIDAY
TAPERING OFF TO A CHANCE ON SAT. PART OF SAT AND SUN COULD BE DRY PER
CURRENT MRF RUN. HOWEVER MRF AND OTHER EXTENDED MODELS LACK
CONTINUITY FROM RUN TO RUN HENCE USING BROAD BRUSH OF CHANCE POPS
THROUGH MONDAY.

AST +++6+  PDX ++95+  SLE ++83+  EUG +853+

.PQR...GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
    ...HIGH WIND WARNING CENTRAL AND NORTH OREGON COAST.

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lower Columbia

When: November 13, 6:00 AM PST to November 15, 8:00 PM PST
Where: Lower Columbia forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Winter Storm, South Coast

When: November 13, 6:00 AM PST to November 15, 8:00 PM PST
Where: South Coast forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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, November 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: 5272645, 5272646.