Winter Storm in Washington, January 6 to 7, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Washington, January 6 to 7, 2002
Start: 2002-01-06T03:00
End: 2002-01-07T21:00
Location: Washington

January 6 to 7, 2002 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

High winds and heavy rains knocked out power to 5000 customers on the Long Beach Peninsula. Highway 4 was closed east of Cathlamet due to the potential of the heavy rains causing slides.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

High winds and heavy rains knocked out power to 5000 customers on the Long Beach Peninsula. Highway 4 was closed east of Cathlamet due to the potential of the heavy rains causing slides. Cape Disappointment reported winds to 40 mph.

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 Jan 6, 2:30 AM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 2:30 AM PST, 30 minutes before

...CORRECTED WARNING LIST...

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 AM PST SUN JAN 6 2002

.SYNOPSIS...WET AND WINDY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY AND MONDAY AS
SERIES OF STORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MOISTURE
ORIGINATING FROM LOW LATITUDES AND HEAVY RAIN IS ANTICIPATED AT
TIMES. HIGHER PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA BY MID WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...MAIN RAIN BAND HAS MOVED TO THE SOUTHERN ZONES BUT NOT
EXPECTED TO SAG MUCH FURTHER SOUTH TODAY WITH ANOTHER WAVE NOW INSIDE
140 WEST APPROACHING AND WILL BRING THE MOISTURE PLUME BACK ACROSS
THE AREA. HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER AMOUNTS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY. A FLOOD POTENTIAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED WITH RAPID RISES
IN RIVERS BY MONDAY. AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING WAVE...GRADIENTS
TIGHTEN UP ALONG THE COAST. WILL UPGRADE WATCH TO HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

.EXTENDED...MRF CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT EXTENDED FORECASTS AND PLAN
NO CHANGES. THE MRF DOES SHOW A THREAT OF RAIN DOWN THE COAST ON
FRIDY...BUT HEIGHTS REMAIN HIGH WITH MOST MOISTURE INTO BRITISH
COLUMBIA SO WILL KEEP FRIDAY DRY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN ON SATURDAY
WITH UPPER TROUGH DROPPING IN TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. STARMER

AST +++85 PDX +++85 SLE +++85 EUG +++85

.PQR...GALE WARNING COASTAL WATERS.
       HIGH WIND WARNING COAST ZONES THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
          MONDAY MORNING.

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, W Pacific

When: January 6, 3:00 AM PST to January 7, 9:00 PM PST
Where: W Pacific forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

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 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: 5278060.