High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, October 16, 2003

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, October 16, 2003
Start: 2003-10-16T15:00
End: 2003-10-16T21:00
Location: Washington

October 16, 2003 · NWS SEW · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

High winds cut power to about 50,000 homes and businesses. Dozens of trees downed, one hit a mobile home and another crushed 4 cars.

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: $1.0 million
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 winds cut power to about 50,000 homes and businesses. Dozens of trees downed, one hit a mobile home and another crushed 4 cars. A man was killed as he tried to stomp out a fire caused by a downed power line. In Conway, a 95 year old barn was blown over.

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 Oct 16, 8:40 AM PST, 6 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 16, 8:40 AM PST, 6 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
940 AM PDT THU OCT 16 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...
BRINGING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AS THE FREEZING LEVEL CLIMBS TO AROUND
11000 FEET. THIS WET PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS WEEKEND AS A
STRONG SOUTHWEST JET STREAM DIRECTS MOIST WARM AIR ACROSS THE AREA.
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO BUILD OVER THE REGION EARLY NEXT
WEEK FOR A PERIOD OF DRIER WEATHER.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
A STRONG WARM FRONT CONTINUED TO APPROACH THE COAST. S OR SELY WINDS
HAVE RESPONDED TO THE APPROACHING FRONT...WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH
LIKELY TO OCCUR ON THE COAST. WENT ON AHEAD INCREASED WIND SPEEDS...
PARTICULARLY GUSTS...FOR MOST ZONES TODAY. EXPECT WINDS TO DECREASE
SOMEWHAT LATER TODAY OR EARLY THIS EVENING.

MEANWHILE...A MILD...VERY MOIST SW FLOW WILL PERSIST OVER THE CWA
THRU AT LEAST FRI...RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AT A NUMBER OF
LOCATIONS. 850 MB TRANSPORT WINDS OF 50 KNOTS OR GREATER COMBINED
WITH FREEZING LEVELS OF 10-11 KFT WILL RESULT IN PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAINFALL ON THE SW FACING SLOPES OF THE OLYMPICS AND NRN CASCADES.
THUS FAR...WELL OVER 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE S AND W
FACING SLOPES OF THE OLYMPICS...WITH RAIN CONTINUING. THUS IT IS
LIKELY THAT FLOOD WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED LATER TODAY...AND THE
CURRENT FLOOD WATCH WILL LIKELY BE EXPANDED. STAY TUNED.

&&

.SEW...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE OLYMPICS AND NRN CASCADES RIVERS.
      .GALE WARNINGS COAST AND INLAND WATERS.

.KATX...VCP11/CSR21A...OPERATIONAL.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 16, 9:31 AM PST, 5 hours 29 minutes before

WAZ001>018-171400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1031 AM PDT THU OCT 16 2003

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

...A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SKOKOMISH RIVER IN MASON
COUNTY...

...FLOOD WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE RIVERS IN KING...SNOHOMISH...
GRAYS HARBOR...JEFFERSON...CLALLAM...MASON...SKAGIT...AND WHATCOM
COUNTIES...

...GALE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL AND INLAND WATERS
TODAY...

...GALES WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE COAST TONIGHT...

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE SKOKOMISH RIVER IN MASON COUNTY...

...FLOOD WATCHES FOR THE RIVERS IN KING...SNOHOMISH...GRAYS
HARBOR...JEFFERSON...CLALLAM...MASON...SKAGIT...AND WHATCOM
COUNTIES...

...GALE WARNING FOR THE COAST FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 16, 12:06 PM PST, 2 hours 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
106 PM PDT THU OCT 16 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

100 PM     SHELTON AREA              WA   HEAVY RAIN
10/16/03   MASON                          3.20 INCHES FELL IN 24 HOURS
                                          ENDING AT 1 PM PDT.

Local storm report, Oct 16, 1:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
230 PM PDT THU OCT 16 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

230 PM     LILLIWAUP                 WA   HEAVY RAIN
10/16/03   MASON                          4.00 INCHES FELL IN 22
                                          HOURS ENDING AT 2:30 PM
                                          PDT.

Local storm report, Oct 16, 1:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
255 PM PDT THU OCT 16 2003

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

250 PM     ANACORTES - SKAGIT BAY    WA   HIGH WIND
10/16/03   SKAGIT                         GUSTS 40 TO 46 MPH
                                          AREA POWER LINES DOWN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Whatcom

When: October 16, 3:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Western Whatcom forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Admiralty Inlet Area

When: October 16, 3:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Admiralty Inlet Area forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Hood Canal/Kitsap Peninsula

When: October 16, 3:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Hood Canal/Kitsap Peninsula forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, San Juan

When: October 16, 3:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: San Juan forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.531, -123.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Northwest Interior

When: October 16, 3:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Northwest Interior forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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, October 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: 5371285, 5371286, 5371287, 5371288, 5371289.