High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, March 18, 2004

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, March 18, 2004
Start: 2004-03-18T14:30
End: 2004-03-18T15:30
Location: Washington

March 18, 2004 · NWS SEW · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

High winds knocked out power to about 10,000 customers. Several trees were downed, one across State Route 16, blocking traffic for about an hour.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $200,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 knocked out power to about 10,000 customers. Several trees were downed, one across State Route 16, blocking traffic for about an hour.

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 Mar 18, 9:30 AM PST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 18, 9:30 AM PST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
930 AM PST THE MAR 18 2004

.SYNOPSIS...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS WESTERN
WASHINGTON TODAY BRINING RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND LOCALLY WINDY
CONDITIONS. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE CASCADES AND OLYMPICS
THROUGH FRIDAY WITH LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE
FRIDAY EVENING...AS A RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE AREA FOR SUNSHINE AND
WARMER TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...THE COLD FRONT OVER WRN WA WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
CASCADES SHORTLY...WHILE THE SYSTEMS DEEP SURFACE LOW IS MAKING
LANDFALL ALONG THE CENTRAL BC COAST. COOLER AIR WILL MOVE INTO WRN
WA BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH THE 850 MB TEMP FALLING TO -4 OR -5 C
LATER TODAY THROUGH FRI AND THE SNOW LEVEL DROPPING TO AROUND 2000
FT. AS THE LOW LEVEL FLOW VEERS TO WSW AND INCREASES...SNOWFALL WILL
PICK UP ALONG THE W SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND CONTINUE THROUGH
TONIGHT. WLY GALES SURGED DOWN THE STRAIT EARLIER THIS MORNING AND
WINDS TURNED NWLY IN ADMIRALTY INLET...SO I EXPECT A PUGET SOUND
CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL DEVELOP SOON.

MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO SHOW A RIDGE BEGINNING TO BUILD OVER
THE PACIFIC NW FRI AS AN UPPER LOW DIGS S AROUND 150W...WITH LOW
LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW DEVELOPING SAT AS 500 MB HEIGHTS CLIMB ABOVE 570
DAM. WITH SUCCESSIVE RUNS THE MODELS ARE DELAYING THE ARRIVAL OF THE
NEXT SHORTWAVE...AND IT IS LOOKING MORE LIKE DRY WARM WEATHER WILL
HOLD ON THROUGH SUN.

A SHORT WAVE WILL PROBABLY BRUSH WRN WA SUN NIGHT OR MON...FOLLOWED
BY A RETURN TO MODERATELY STRONG MOIST SWLY FLOW THROUGH THE
EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD.

MCDONNAL

&&

.SEW...GALE WARNING COAST...ENTIRE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA...CAMANO
       ISLAND TO POINT ROBERTS.
      .SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ADMIRALTY INLET...PUGET SOUND AND HOOD
       CANAL.
      .WINTER STORM WARNING NORTH CASCADES TODAY AND TONIGHT.
      .SNOW ADVISORY CENTRAL CASCADES AND OLYMPICS TODAY AND
       TONIGHT.

.KATX...VCP21/CSR21 OPERATIONAL.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 18, 5:00 AM PST, 9 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004

PZZ130>133-150-153-156-170-173-176-191400-
500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF NORTHERN
AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON...THE U.S. STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA...AND THE
NORTHERN INLAND WATERS FROM CAMANO ISLAND TO POINT ROBERTS.

.DAY ONE...

A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY. SEE THE COASTAL MARINE
FORECAST...FZUS56...FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

WAZ012-018-191400-
OLYMPICS-WEST SLOPES CENTRAL CASCADES AND PASSES-
500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004

.DAY ONE...
SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT.  ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10
INCHES EXPECTED BY FRIDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SNOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY.  THE SNOW ADVISORY WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE
EXTENDED THROUGH THE DAY FOR ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS.

WAZ017-191400-
WEST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES AND PASSES-
500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004

.DAY ONE...
WINTER STORM WARNIN IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT.  ACCUMULATIONS OF 7
TO 14 INCHES EXPECTED BY FRIDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SNOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY.  THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL LIKELY
NEED TO BE EXTENDED THROUGH THE DAY FOR ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS.

PZZ134-135-WAZ001>011-013>016-191400-
ADMIRALTY INLET AREA-CENTRAL CASCADE FOOTHILLS-CENTRAL COAST-
EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-EVERETT AND VICINITY-
HOOD CANAL/KITSAP PENINSULA-NORTH COAST-NORTHERN CASCADE FOOTHILLS-
NORTHWEST INTERIOR-SAN JUAN-SEATTLE METROPOLITAN AREA-
SOUTHWEST INTERIOR-TACOMA AREA-WESTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
WESTERN WHATCOM-
500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004

.DAY ONE...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

Event by event

2 high wind, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, W Grays Harbor

When: March 18, 2:30 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: W Grays Harbor forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Strong Wind, Mason T Sw & Nw/Kitsap T X Se/Ec&se Jefferson

When: March 18, 2:30 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: Mason T Sw & Nw/Kitsap T X Se/Ec&se Jefferson forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph) estimated sustained
Property damage: $120,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Strong Wind, Sw Snohomish

When: March 18, 2:30 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: Sw Snohomish forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $80,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Thurston T X Se/Sw Mason/C&se Grays Harbor/W Lewis

When: March 18, 2:30 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: Thurston T X Se/Sw Mason/C&se Grays Harbor/W Lewis forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph) measured sustained
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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, March 2004

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: 5387385, 5387386, 5387387, 5387388.