Heavy Snow, Washington Palouse
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Washington Palouse forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.261, -117.463 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Washington, January 21 to 23, 2003
With cold air trapped over much of eastern Washington, a warm front lifted into the region and stalled. A warm southerly flow rode over the cold air at the surface and produced widespread heavy snow from the valleys to the mountains for over a day and a half.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
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.
With cold air trapped over much of eastern Washington, a warm front lifted into the region and stalled. A warm southerly flow rode over the cold air at the surface and produced widespread heavy snow from the valleys to the mountains for over a day and a half. Some snow totals included: Oaksdale...7", Hartline...9", Coulee City...7", Odessa...5", Spokane NWS office...7", Davenport...5.6", Boundary Dam...10", Colville...6", Republic...4.5", Chelan...8", Enitat...10", Wenatchee...4", and Chief Joseph...4".
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Moses Lake Area
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Moses Lake Area forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.095, -119.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Upper Columbia Basin
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Upper Columbia Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.610, -119.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Spokane Area
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Spokane Area forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.599, -117.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northeast Mountains
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northeast Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.184, -117.511 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Okanogan Highlands
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Okanogan Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.510, -119.128 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wenatchee Area
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Wenatchee Area forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.802, -120.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Okanogan Valley
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Okanogan Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.143, -119.716 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Waterville Plateau
- When
- January 21, 12:00 PM PST to January 23, 5:00 AM PST
- Where
- Waterville Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.471, -119.572 (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
- Extreme Cold in Michigan, January 21, 2003
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 21, 2003
- Cold in Maine, January 21 to 23, 2003
- Cold in New Hampshire, January 21 to 23, 2003
- Winter Weather in Kansas, January 21 to 22, 2003
- Cold in Maine, January 21 to 22, 2003
- Cold in Maine, January 21 to 22, 2003
- Winter Weather in Colorado, January 21 to 22, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 21 to 23, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 21 to 22, 2003
- Winter Weather in Nebraska, January 21 to 22, 2003
- High Wind in Maine, January 21, 2003
More
Every storm in Washington in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2003
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: 5341683, 5341684, 5341685, 5341686, 5341687, 5341688, 5341689, 5341690, 5341691.