High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, February 10, 2006

Name: High Wind and Strong Wind in Washington, February 10, 2006
Start: 2006-02-10T07:00
End: 2006-02-10T14:00
Location: Washington

February 10, 2006 · NWS SEW · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

HIgh winds knocked out power to more than 4000 homes. Several houses had trees fall on them and fences blown down.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $105,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 more than 4000 homes. Several houses had trees fall on them and fences blown down.

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 Feb 10, 3:20 AM PST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 3:20 AM PST, 3 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
320 AM PST FRI FEB 10 2006

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT COMBINED WITH STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW
WILL RESULT IN DRY WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT. THE FOOTHILLS WILL BE
WINDY INTO THIS EVENING. A SERIES OF WEAK WEATHER SYSTEMS MAY BRING
A LITTLE RAIN TO THE PARTS OF THE AREA SUNDAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.SHORT TERM...RATHER STRONG EASTERLY GRADIENTS KICKING IN AND THE
WIND IN THE USUAL EAST FLOW AREAS IS KICKING UP. FOOTHILL LOCATIONS
EXPOSED TO GAPS IN THE CASCADES HAVE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH
AS WELL AS THE FRAZIER VALLEY OUTFLOW REGION. THESE WINDS WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY AND BEGIN TO RELAX TONIGHT. CENTRAL AND FAR
NORTH COAST ALSO FEELING SOME PRETTY STRONG OFFSHORE
WINDS...GENERALLY IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE. THIS STRONG EASTERLY
FLOW COMBINED WITH SUNNY SKIES WILL KICK UP TEMPS A GOOD
AMOUNT...WITH MOST LOCATIONS IN THE 55 TO 60 DEGREE RANGE AND A FEW
FAVORED INTERIOR LOCATIONS GETTING ABOVE 60.

FOR SAT...VERY WEAK FRONT CRAWLING INTO THE WESTERN PART OF THE AREA
BRINGING WITH IT A VERY LOW CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN. MOSTLY A DRY FRONT
BUT CAN NOT SAY SOMEBODY ALONG THE COAST WONT SEE A BIT OF LIGHT
RAIN. THIS FRONT MOVES FURTHER INLAND SAT NIGHT...WITH EVEN LESS OF
A CHANCE FOR DROPPING ANY RAIN.

BY THE TIME WE GET INTO SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...A SOMEWHAT
STRONGER FRONT WILL OOZE ACROSS THE REGION FOR A SLIGHTLY BETTER
CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN. STILL IN THE LOW CHANCE CATEGORY THOUGH.
CERNIGLIA

.LONG TERM...FROM MONDAY ONWARD THE MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO COME
AROUND TO A SOLUTION WHERE THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES NWLY OVER THE
REGION WITH A COLDER AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS SETTLING IN. IF THIS WERE
TO COME ABOUT IT WOULD BRING AN END TO THE MILD TEMPS...HOWEVER THE
PRECIP THREAT IS UP IN THE AIR...ALTHOUGH IN A NW FLOW ANY PRECIP
THAT DOES OCCUR IS GENERALLY LIGHT. MODELS ARE STRUGGLING AT BEST
FOR CONTINUITY WITH THE VARIOUS WAVES IN THE FLOW SO BEST APPROACH
IS A WAIT AND SEE TYPE. SO....I WILL WAIT AND SEE AND TWEAK OVER
LATER SHIFTS. CERNIGLIA

&&

.AVIATION...DRY OFFSHORE FLOW CONTINUES TODAY.  VFR CONDS
PREVAILING.  NO FOG EXPECTED. WIND AT KSEA WILL BE NE 08-15 KT
TODAY. DTM

&&

.WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.STORM WARNING WEST ENTRANCE STRAIT.
.SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COAST...CENTRAL STRAIT...EAST ENTRANCE STRAIT
...NORTHERN INLAND WATERS...PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL.

WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE

Event by event

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

High Wind, C King/C Pierce/X Ne Thurston/C Lewis

When: February 10, 7:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where: C King/C Pierce/X Ne Thurston/C Lewis forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Strong Wind, W Grays Harbor

When: February 10, 7:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where: W Grays Harbor forecast zone
Measured: 28 kt (32 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, February 2006

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: 5492081, 5492082.