Storm Surge in Washington, January 2 to 3, 2003

Name: Storm Surge in Washington, January 2 to 3, 2003
Start: 2003-01-02T03:00
End: 2003-01-03T18:00
Location: Washington

January 2 to 3, 2003 · NWS SEW · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: $90,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 SEW wrote it up.

High tides, along with low pressure and occasional strong winds and heavy rains, produced flooding along the coast and in the northern marine areas of western Washington. Several roads were closed including SR 109 in Ocean Shores and parts of Highway 101. Flooding reached into dozens of homes and businesses in Ocean City and Copalis Beach. Near Eastsound, in the San Juans, a large area of debris was strewn across Crescent Beach Rd causing damage to the shoulder of the road. At Gooseberry Pt (in western Whatcom co), several homes were flooded. Flooding was also reported near Sequim and on Guemes Island (north of Anacortes).

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 Seattle, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 1, 9:10 PM PST, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 9:10 PM PST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 1, 5:00 AM PST, 22 hours before

WAZ001>018-021300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
500 AM PST WED JAN 1 2003

...A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COAST AND THE NORTH INTERIOR OF WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE RIVERS ON THE OLYMPIC
PENINSULA FOR THURSDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PARTS
OF WESTERN WASHINGTON

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A VIGOROUS FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING GALE FORCE WINDS TO THE COASTAL
WATERS AND MOST OF THE INLAND WATERS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY AND
TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM COULD ALSO CAUSE LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS ALONG
THE COAST AND IN THE NORTH INTERIOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

ADDITIONAL FRONTS WILL AFFECT WESTERN WASHINGTON LATE THURSDAY AND
LATE FRIDAY...BRINGING ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF GALE FORCE WINDS TO THE
MARINE AREAS. HEAVY RAIN OVER THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA COULD CAUSE THE
SKOKOMISH AND OTHER RIVERS THERE TO FLOOD BY THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Storm Surge/Tide, Central Coast

When: January 2, 3:00 AM PST to January 3, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Central Coast forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Storm Surge/Tide, San Juan

When: January 2, 3:00 AM PST to January 3, 6:00 PM PST
Where: San Juan forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 48.531, -123.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Western Whatcom

When: January 2, 3:00 AM PST to January 3, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Western Whatcom forecast zone
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Storm Surge/Tide, Ne Clallam

When: January 2, 3:00 AM PST to January 3, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Ne Clallam forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

Storm Surge/Tide, W Skagit/Nw Snohomish

When: January 2, 3:00 AM PST to January 3, 6:00 PM PST
Where: W Skagit/Nw Snohomish forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

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

Every storm in Washington in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, January 2003 The 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5339754, 5339755, 5339756, 5339757, 5339758.