Heavy Snow, Okanogan Highlands
- When
- October 12, 5:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- Okanogan Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 48.510, -119.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Washington, October 12, 2001
A powerful Pacific jet stream brought abundant moisture to northern Washington during the normally cold pre-dawn hours, causing an early season heavy snowfall for the mountains of northeast Washington. 5".
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
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 OTX wrote it up.
A powerful Pacific jet stream brought abundant moisture to northern Washington during the normally cold pre-dawn hours, causing an early season heavy snowfall for the mountains of northeast Washington. The following are snowfall totals with this early season storm: Bunchgrass SNOTEL site (elevation 5000')...7.2", Sherman Pass (elevation 5575')...6", and 18 NE Wauconda (elevation 2500')...4.5". The valley floor around Republic received one to two inches of snow, and unofficial reports indicate up to 8 inches of snow around Toroda Creek.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane
- When
- October 12, 5:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- Stevens/Pend Oreille/X N Spokane forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Tornado in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, October 12 to 13, 2001
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, October 12, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, October 12, 2001
- High Wind in Oregon, October 12, 2001
- Hail in Texas, October 12, 2001
More
Every storm in Washington in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5270134, 5270135.