Heavy Snow in Washington, January 31, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Washington, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T12:00
End: 2002-01-31T22:00
Location: Washington

January 31, 2002 · NWS OTX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong warm front lifting north across the area brought heavy snow to parts of far eastern Washington. 3".

Where it happened

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.

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: 3

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 strong warm front lifting north across the area brought heavy snow to parts of far eastern Washington. Snowfall totals include: Mount Spokane Ski Area...20", Quartz Peak SNOTEL...16", Bunchgrass Meadows SNOTEL (16 SE Metaline Falls)...13", 49 Degrees North Ski Area...12", Loon Lake...9", Deer Park...8.5", Clayton...8.5", 9 SSE Chewelah...8", Diamond Lake...5", Pullman...5", Colville...4", Williams Lake...3.5", and NWS Spokane (4 NW Airway Heights)...3".

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 Jan 31, 8:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 8:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON
845 AM PST THU JAN 31 2002

MODELS INITIALIZED REASONABLY WELL THIS MORNING AS NEXT PACIFIC SHORT
WAVE BEGINS TO IMPACT THE CWA. FORECAST TIMING ON TRACK AS WARM OVER
RUNNING CLOUDS CROSSING THE CASCADES. IR AND H2O VAPOR SAT LOOPS
SUPPORT WAA FOCUS AREA ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CWA TODAY AS WINDS
AT H85 CONTINUE TO BACK TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. BIG QUESTION FOR
THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CWA IS TEMPERATURES...IF WINDS SURFACE
TEMPERATURES COULD JUMP INTO THE UPPER 30S AND 40S AT LWS. WILL HAVE
TO KEEP AN EYE ON TEMPS TODAY AS SOUTHERN PART MAY WARM ENOUGH TO
START PRECIP AS RAIN OR A MIX OF -RA/-SN. H85 TEMPS REMAIN BELOW -2C
SO BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A BRIEF PERIOD BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL -SN.
HIGHLIGHTS IN PLACE FOR SNOW ACCUMULATION TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL
NEED TO UPDATE WSW FOR THIS AFTERNOONS PACKAGE. POPS LOOK GOOD FOR
THIS EVENT.  GDB

...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 036/028/035/025/035 5+2-0
COE 035/025/034/024/034 5+411
PUW 033/026/034/023/035 49310
LWS 038/031/039/030/042 14100
CQV 035/026/032/022/034 7+842
SPT 031/025/031/022/035 7++52
WWP 030/025/031/023/033 8++64
EAT 034/025/038/026/037 42-02
MWH 038/030/038/027/039 24102

.OTX...HEAVY SNOW WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WAZ38.
       WINTER WX ADVSY FOR SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
          WAZ33,36 AND IDZ2,3.
       HEAVY SNOW WARNING THROUGH FRIDAY WAZ37 AND IDZ1,4.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Washington Palouse

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Washington Palouse forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Spokane Area

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Spokane Area forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northeast Mountains

When: January 31, 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Northeast Mountains 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

Every storm in Washington in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, January 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: 5279168, 5279169, 5279170.