On the evening of May 6, an upper level low pressure center became stationary directly over Reardan. During the overnight hours, bands of heavy snow developed near the low center with the bands of snow at the center remaining stationary through the night directly overhead Reardan.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
On the evening of May 6, an upper level low pressure center became stationary directly over Reardan. During the overnight hours, bands of heavy snow developed near the low center with the bands of snow at the center remaining stationary through the night directly overhead Reardan. The result was a snowfall of epic proportions for the small town west of Spokane. As one drove out Highway 2 from Spokane, there were five inches of snow by the time Fairchild Air Force Base was reached. Snowfall amounts quickly increased from there until you got to Reardan, where 16"-19" of snow fell overnight. Snowfall amounts then decreased west of there, where Davenport received five inches of snow. In addition, a spotter 8 miles northwest of Airway Heights reported 7 inches of snow, NWS Spokane (3 NW Airway Heights) received 5.1" of snow, and Loon Lake reported 4 inches. Snowfall amounts in the immediate Spokane area were around one inch, small compared to amounts in Reardan but still significant for being so late in the season.
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 May 6, 7:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON 830 PM PDT MON MAY 06 2002 NO SFP UPDATES. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO ADD WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW FOR LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES FOR LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. COLD LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED INSTABILITY CONTINUES TO PARK ITSELF OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO. ONCE THE FLOW BECOMES MORE NORTHWEST AS THE LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST...A SHORTWAVE WILL MAKE USE OF THE ADDED UPSLOPE OROGRAPHIC FLOW OVER THAT AREA FOR WHICH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED. OTHERWISE WILL CONTINUE THE MENTION OF SOME SHOWERS AS THE AREAL COVERAGE HAS CONSIDERABLY LESSENED WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING YET HAS NOT ALTOGETHER HALTED. INCLUSION OF SNOW LEVELS ONLY USEFUL IN SHOWING ACCUMULATIONS AS STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL STILL ALLOW FOR FROZEN PRECIPITATION TO REACH DOWN TO SOME OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE FORECAST AREA. ...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 028/048/030/055/032/061 242000 COE 029/047/030/056/030/059 242000 PUW 030/045/030/054/031/059 263000 LWS 035/052/037/061/035/066 373000 CQV 030/053/033/060/032/065 231002 SPT 030/047/030/057/030/059 241102 WWP 032/043/026/052/029/056 274202 EAT 034/057/038/060/038/067 231000 MWH 035/057/035/062/034/068 441000 .OTX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW FOR THE LEWIS AND SOUTHERN NEZ PERCE COUNTIES FOR LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, May 2002
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: 5299481, 5299482.