Washington, 2003

Storm Surge in Washington, January 2, 2003

January 2, 2003 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Tidal overflow during one of the highest tides of the year resulted in significant flooding along estuaries and low-lying coastal area. There was 4 feet of water over Highway 101 in Raymond and significant flooding of Highway 101 near Potter Slough and Nemah.

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.

Tidal overflow during one of the highest tides of the year resulted in significant flooding along estuaries and low-lying coastal area. There was 4 feet of water over Highway 101 in Raymond and significant flooding of Highway 101 near Potter Slough and Nemah. The Pacific County Emergency Manager reported significant flooding and property damage at the Port of Ilwaco. Waves and high water were also reported on Highway 101 from McGowan to Megler. Neither injuries nor an estimate of damage was reported.

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 2, 8:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 8:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR...CORRECTED
830 AM PST THU JAN 2 2003

.SYNOPSIS...FRONT HAS MOVED ONSHORE THIS MORNING WITH SHOWERS OVER
THE AREA. NEXT WAVE ALREADY INCREASING PRECIPITATION OVER THE SW PART
OF OREGON AND THIS SHOULD SPREAD NORTHWARD TODAY. ANOTHER SYSTEM IS
EXPECTED TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY...FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER FRIDAY
NIGHT AND SATURDAY. EACH OF THESE WILL BRING MORE RAIN AND COASTAL
WIND...THOUGH APPEAR WEAKER. SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER CASCADES
WITH EACH STORM. A BREAK MAY COME EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE STORM TRACK
SHIFTS A BIT NORTH OF THE AREA.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT
HAS PUSHED ONSHORE.  GRADIENTS HAVE STARTED TO RELAX AND WINDS HAVE
DECREASED SLIGHTLY WITH STRONGEST GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH AT THE
OFFSHORE BUOYS.  WILL DROP THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE
COAST...THOUGH WINDS WILL REMAIN QUITE GUSTY AT TIMES.  ANOTHER ROUND
OF STRONG WINDS TO COME ASHORE LATER TODAY AND THIS EVENING AHEAD OF
A STRONG COLD FRONT.  AVN SHOWS STRONG 850 WINDS AROUND 65
KT...HOWEVER BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS ALONG THE SHORE ONLY AROUND 35 TO
40 KT AND GRADIENTS MARGINAL.  EXPECT WINDS TO REMAIN JUST BELOW HIGH
WIND CRITERIA BUT WILL KEEP A EYE ON THIS AS THE FRONT APPROACHES.
MOISTURE FROM WAVE ALONG 130 W SHOULD GET PULLED NORTHWARD TODAY
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING.  EXPECT RAINFALL TO INCREASE OVER
THE AREA BY AFTERNOON WITH A BURST OF MORE INTENSE RAIN THIS EVENING
AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH.

FREEZING LEVEL QUITE HIGH TODAY AND TONIGHT...7000 FEET OR SO...BUT
EXPECT TO LOWER TO 5000 FEET LATER TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. BUT AT THAT
TIME THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE ON THE DECREASE SO SNOW ACCUMULATION
SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL.

WILL KEEP THE FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK (ESFPQR) GOING. APPEARS THAT
BREAKS IN THE PRECIPITATION WILL KEEP FLOOD POTENTIAL LOW. HOWEVER
WITH CONTINUING BARRAGE OF SYSTEMS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...SOME RIVERS
MAY POSSIBLY REACH FLOOD LEVELS.

.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES.

AST 7+678  PDX 79678 SLE 79678  EUG 89677

.PQR...GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
      .HIGH SURF ADVISORY CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE TODAY.
      .FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK FRIDAY.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 2, 6:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-031430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST THU JAN 2 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON.

.DAY ONE...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES FOR THIS MORNING FOR THE COAST. GUSTY
SOUTH WINDS ALONG THE COAST...WITH THE MOST PRONE AREA WILL BE THE
EXPOSED HEADLANDS WHERE GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH ARE EXPECTED.

STORM WARNING CONTINUES THIS MORNING...AND A HIGH SURF ADVISORY TODAY
ON THE COASTAL WATERS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE
COASTAL AREAS INTO SATURDAY. COASTAL WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH POSSIBLE
THURSDAY NIGHT...AND FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. IN ADDITION HEAVY
RAIN MAY POSE A PROBLEM FOR SOME COASTAL RIVERS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO SKYWARN PROCEDURES.

Event by event

1 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, W Pacific

When
January 2, 10:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where
W Pacific forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide
Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Washington in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2003The 2003 hurricane season

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: 5339087.