Washington, 2002

Heavy Snow in Washington, February 7 to 8, 2002

February 7 to 8, 2002 · NWS OTX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Moisture-laden southwest flow on the 7th followed by a strong surface low pressure center moving directly across northeast Washington early on the 8th brought heavy snow to the mountains of much of eastern Washington, including the northeast Blue Mountains, the Okanogan Highlands, the Northeast Mountains, and the Waterville Plateau. With snow levels on the 7th around 2500 feet, this meant that…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Moisture-laden southwest flow on the 7th followed by a strong surface low pressure center moving directly across northeast Washington early on the 8th brought heavy snow to the mountains of much of eastern Washington, including the northeast Blue Mountains, the Okanogan Highlands, the Northeast Mountains, and the Waterville Plateau. With snow levels on the 7th around 2500 feet, this meant that the lower valleys generally got 2 inches or less of snow while elevations above 2500 feet got considerably more. Two-day snowfall totals with this storm from the 7th and 8th include: 49 Degrees North Ski Area...20", Mount Spokane Ski Area...19", Bunchgrass Meadows SNOTEL (16 SE Metaline Falls)...19", Spruce Springs SNOTEL (9 W Anatone)...14", Sourdough Gulch SNOTEL (5 W Anatone)...10", Moses Mountain SNOTEL (22 E Omak)...9", Bodie Mountain...7", Waterville...6", Chesaw...5", 15 NW Ephrata (elev 2500 ft)...4.5", and Chewelah...3.5".

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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 7, 9:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 7, 9:00 AM PST, 3 hours before
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
900 AM PST THU FEB 7 2002

THE DEEP UPPER LEVEL LOW REMAINS CENTERED NEAR 49N/135W AT THIS TIME.
MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
AND A STRONG WAVE EMBEDDED IN THIS FLOW IS MOVING ONTO THE OREGON
COAST THIS MORNING. CURRENTLY JUST MID AND HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE AREA
EXCEPT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERNMOST ZONES WHERE THERE IS SOME LIGHT RAIN
FALLING WITH SNOW LEVELS AROUND 3500-4500 FEET. ELSEWHERE AREAS OF
RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP TODAY...BUT SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH.
THE STRONG WAVE OFF THE OREGON COAST WILL MOVE INLAND TONIGHT. MOST
OF THE ENERGY/MOISTURE WILL REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH...BUT THERE SHOULD BE
ENOUGH TO BRING SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION TO THE BLUE
MOUNTAINS...LEWISTON AND THE CAMAS PRAIRIE TONIGHT. THE MAIN QUESTION
WILL BE SNOW LEVELS...SO AT THIS TIME WILL CONTINUE WITH THE WINTER
STORM WATCH CURRENTLY IN EFFECT. BY FRIDAY THE PRECIPITATION WILL
HAVE BEGUN TO TAPER OFF ALL LOCATIONS EXCEPT THE CENTRAL PANHANDLE
MOUNTAINS WHICH WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY. IT THEN
APPEARS A RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD IN OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST ON
SATURDAY. 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 041/029/037/027/039 45423
COE 039/028/037/026/038 45423
PUW 039/030/036/028/039 68412
LWS 048/036/045/033/045 68511
CQV 038/028/038/027/038 45424
SPT 036/028/035/026/036 66424
WWP 034/028/034/026/035 89633
EAT 037/029/039/028/038 23123
MWH 040/030/044/029/042 23113

.OTX...HEAVY SNOW WARNING TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY ID ZONE 4.
    ...WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING ID ZONE 27
       AND WA ZONE 31.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northeast Blue Mountains

When
February 7, 12:00 PM PST to February 8, 3:00 AM PST
Where
Northeast Blue Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.312, -117.374 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northeast Mountains

When
February 7, 12:00 PM PST to February 8, 6:00 AM PST
Where
Northeast Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Okanogan Highlands

When
February 7, 12:00 PM PST to February 8, 6:00 AM PST
Where
Okanogan Highlands forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.510, -119.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waterville Plateau

When
February 7, 12:00 PM PST to February 8, 6:00 AM PST
Where
Waterville Plateau forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
47.471, -119.572 (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

More

Every storm in Washington in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, February 2002

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: 5283557, 5283558, 5283559, 5283560.