During the morning of November 18th a low level jet stream over eastern Washington produced isolated strong wind gusts over the eastern Columbia Basin. In Ritzville a large tree fell on an automobile and in Spokane a tree fell on a house.
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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.
During the morning of November 18th a low level jet stream over eastern Washington produced isolated strong wind gusts over the eastern Columbia Basin. In Ritzville a large tree fell on an automobile and in Spokane a tree fell on a house.
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 Nov 18, 5:00 AM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WASHINGTON 500 AM PST TUE NOV 18 2003 STARTING DEC 1 2003 NWS SPOKANE WILL ISSUE TWO ROUTINE FORECAST DISCUSSIONS EACH DAY...ONE AT 230 AM AND ANOTHER AT 230 PM. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONS WILL BE ISSUED ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS FOR FORECAST CHANGES. PLEASE CONTACT NWS SPOKANE IF YOU HAVE FEEDBACK ON THIS PROPOSED CHANGE. .SYNOPSIS...A WINDY WET AND WILD WEATHER PATTERN WILL MENACE EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS A SERIES OF PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS MIGRATE TROUGH THE REGION. TODAYS WIDESPREAD RAIN AND UNSEASONABLY MILD TEMPERATURES WILL GIVE WAY TO A STRONG COLD FRONT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS ON WEDNESDAY. BY THURSDAY MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL USHER IN THE THREAT OF VALLEY SNOW BY THE END OF THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... TODAY AND TONIGHT...STORY FOR TODAY IS THE DEEP PLUME OF MOISTURE PLOWING INTO THE PACIFIC COAST AND RIDING INTO THE FORECAST AREA VISIBLE ON SATELLITE THIS MORNING. A SURFACE WARM FRONT HAS CRAWLED ACROSS THE COLUMBIA BASIN DURING THE NIGHT AND IS NOW MOVING NORTHWARD TOWARDS THE CANADIAN BORDER. PLENTY OF ISENTROPIC LIFT ENHANCING THE PACIFIC MOISTURE ALONG THIS FRONT FOR HIGH POPS ALL ZONES NORTH OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN TODAY. WITH SOUTHERN ZONES IN THE WARM SECTOR THE PROSPECT OF STRONG WINDS ALOFT DIPPING DOWN TO THE SURFACE WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER PLATEAU REGIONS SUCH AS THE CAMAS PRAIRIE AND THE PALOUSE REGION. NO WIND HIGHLIGHTS AT THIS TIME BUT WILL BEEF UP WINDY WORDING IN THE FORECASTS. HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN THE CASCADES WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH THIS MORNING. SPOTTERS IN THE VALLEYS OF THE SOUTHERN EAST SLOPES INDICATE SNOW CHANGING TO RAIN HINTING AT INCREASING SNOW LEVELS AS OF 200 AM BUT EVIDENCE ON SATELLITE OF A MID LEVEL COLD FRONT MOVING INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA UNDERNEATH THE JET CIRRUS SHIELD MAY STALL THE NORTHWARD MOVEMENT OF THIS FRONT BEFORE IT REACHES THE NORTHERN CASCADES. TEMPERATURES TODAY UNSEASONABLY WARM BUT IT APPEARS NO RECORDS ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER. TONIGHTS MINIMUM TEMPERATURES AGAIN ON THE MILD SIDE WITH FREEZING LEVELS IN THE 6000 FOOT RANGE AND WINDS KEEPING SURFACE LAYER WELL MIXED. WEDNESDAY...WARM FRONT STALLS ALONG THE US/CAN BORDER. MODELS SIMILAR IN PRODUCING A SURFACE LOW ALONG THE STALLED FRONT OVER THE PACIFIC AND MIGRATING IT INLAND THROUGH SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA DURING THE DAY. THIS IS RECOGNIZED AS A KEY ELEMENT FOR CLASSIC HIGH WIND PATTERN OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST...HOWEVER BY THIS TIME DIFFERENCES IN THE STRENGTH OF THIS LOW AND ASSOCIATED GRADIENT ARE SIGNIFICANT. THE GFS IS DEEPER AND MORE OMINOUS FOR STRONG WINDS... WHILE THE ETA IS WEAKER AND LESS THREATENING. DAY SHIFT WILL HAVE TO CAREFULLY ANALISE LATER RUNS TO SORT OUT THE TRUTH AND CONTEMPLATE ISSUING A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE BASIN ON WEDNESDAY. THE OTHER BIG STORY ON WEDNESDAY FOR WHICH BOTH MODELS AGREE IS A STRONG COLD FRONT PASSAGE DURING THE DAY. AS THE PACIFIC MOISTURE PLUME WILL STILL BE DIRECTED INTO THE FORECAST AREA, ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN SHOWERS AT AND BEHIND THIS FRONT IS LIKELY. WILL INCREASE POPS AGAIN DURING THE DAY FOR THIS EVENT. THEN IT GETS COLD. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN A SHOT OF PACIFIC POLAR AIR FROM THE WEST AND THEN A MODIFIED CONTINENTAL ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL BEGIN BLEEDING INTO THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTH. MEANWHILE ALOFT A COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL DIG INTO THE REGION. BOTH GFS AND ETA FORM A SURFACE LOW OFF THE COAST AND SLOWLY BRING IT INLAND. BY THIS TIME THE DEEP MOISTURE FETCH IS GONE...BUT IN A COLD AIR MASS THE LOWER PRECIPITABLE WATER OF THE LINGERING AMBIENT MOISTURE WILL PROBABLY BE SUFFICIENT FOR SNOW SHOWERS. TWO FRONTAL BANDS...THE POLAR FRONT OVER THE SOUTHERN REACHES OF THE FORECAST AREA AND THE ARCTIC FRONT SOMEWHERE OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES WILL SERVE AS FOCUSING MECHANISMS. DUE TO MODEL UNCERTAINTY THAT FAR OUT WITH THE EXACT LOCATIONS AND STRENGTH OF ALL THESE FEATURES...WILL SIMPLY BROAD BRUSH THURSDAY WITH A GENERAL CHANCE OF MAINLY SNOW SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST AREA. /FUGAZZI THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...A DEEPENING LONG WAVE TROF OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DRIVES A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM OFF THE OREGON COAST INTO THE INLAND NORTHWEST. WITH THE COLDER AIR IN PLACE FROM THE PREVIOUS COLD FRONT IT APPEARS THIS WILL PRIMARILY BE A SNOW EVENT. LATEST GFS SHOWS THE TRACK OF THE LOW ACROSS SOUTHERN WASHINGTON AND THEN INTO THE NORTHERN IDAHO PANHANDLE BY LATE FRIDAY MORNING. A SIMILAR CASE HISTORY FROM LAST YEAR PRODUCED OVER TWO INCHES OF SNOW BETWEEN SPOKANE AND PULLMAN. THE TWO CASES APPEAR SIMILAR BUT IT IS TOO FAR AWAY TO TELL WHETHER LOCALIZED AMOUNTS THAT HIGH ARE POSSIBLE. STILL...CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR DECENT AMOUNTS OF SNOW IN LOWER ELEVATIONS. SURFACE LOW WITH AN INVERTED TROF EXTENDED NORTHWARD OVER SPOKANE. IMPLIED ASCENT INDICATED BY Q- VECTORS ARE STRONG AND MOISTURE IS PRESENT. WITH A CONVERGENCE OF ALL THE INGREDIENTS AND THE INCREASED CONSISTENCY WITH THE GFS WILL UP POPS TO LIKELY IN EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO. SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...CONDITIONS IMPROVE AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PUSHES IN ON THE HEELS OF FRIDAYS LOW. HPC IS GOING WHOLESALE ON THE ECMWF AS THE MODEL OF CHOICE FOR THESE DAYS. WILL FOLLOW THIS THINKING AND DRY OUT THE FORECAST KEEPING TEMPERATURES COOL IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW. /LERICOS && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SPOKANE 050 042 048 033 036/ 60 20 60 40 50 COEUR DALENE 049 041 047 032 035/ 60 20 60 50 50 PULLMAN 053 043 048 035 040/ 50 10 60 40 50 LEWISTON 058 046 053 036 044/ 30 10 40 40 50 COLVILLE 048 040 048 030 040/ 80 60 60 40 30 SANDPOINT 048 040 048 032 037/ 90 70 70 50 30 WALLACE 047 039 049 029 033/ 70 70 70 50 40 MOSES LAKE 058 044 050 033 039/ 10 10 20 20 50 WENATCHEE 053 039 048 033 040/ 30 10 30 30 30 OMAK 045 039 048 030 037/ 60 50 70 40 30 && .OTX...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...WIND ADVISORY FOR ID002 ID003 AND ID027 THRU THIS MORNING... WA...HEAVY SNOW WARNING WAZ042 THRU MIDDAY TODAY... ...WIND ADVISORY FOR WA036 AND WA033 THRU THIS MORNING... &&
IDZ001>004-026-027-WAZ031>038-041>044-191430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA 600 AM PST TUE NOV 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO .DAY ONE...TODAY A HEAVY SNOW WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES THROUGH MIDDAY TODAY. SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING (WWUS46 KOTX WSWOTX) FOR DETAILS. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SPOKANE/COEUR DALENE AREA...WASHINGTON AND IDAHO PALOUSE AND CAMAS PRAIRIE. SEE THE LATEST WIND ADVISORY (WWUS76 KOTX NPWOTX) FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN BEHIND A COLD FRONT ON LATE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BRING THE NEXT ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHERN IDAHO. THE MOUNTAINS AND EVEN LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN WILL SEE MEASURABLE SNOWFALL WITH SOME LOCATIONS APPROACHING ADVISORY LEVEL. WHILE NO WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED AS YET...PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS PRODUCT FOR UPDATES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 2003
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: 5335178, 5335179.