Moist southwest flow produced 24 inches of snow at Mt Baker during on Nov 10-11.
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 SEW wrote it up.
Moist southwest flow produced 24 inches of snow at Mt Baker during on Nov 10-11.
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 Nov 10, 4:05 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
405 AM PST TUE NOV 10 2009
.SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH JUST OFFSHORE WILL SEND BANDS OF
SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY AND TONIGHT. AFTER A SHORT
LULL WITH JUST A CHANCE OF SHOWERS ON VETERANS DAY...A SMALL UPPER
LEVEL LOW WILL BRING RAIN TO THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. AFTER ANOTHER
BRIEF LULL THURSDAY...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA
THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH POST-FRONTAL SHOWERS FRIDAY. ANOTHER FRONTAL
SYSTEM MAY AFFECT THE AREA THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.SHORT TERM...AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT
WEEK...WITH A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE AREA.
MODELS HAVE SETTLED DOWN FOR THE SHORT TERM AND ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD
AGREEMENT. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH HAS SET UP OFFSHORE WITH THE AXIS
ALONG ABOUT 135W. IR IMAGERY SHOWS LOTS OF SHOWERS OFFSHORE EMBEDDED
IN THE SW FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THE TROUGH AXIS. THE FIRST ORGANIZED
BAND OF SHOWERS WILL REACH THE COAST BY 12Z AND PUGET SOUND AROUND
SUNRISE. SHOWER ACTIVITY CONTINUES BEHIND THIS LEADING BAND AS THE
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH NEARS THE AREA. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS
CROSSES THE AREA WEDNESDAY. IR IMAGERY SHOWS LESS SHOWER ACTIVITY
OFFSHORE UNDER THE AXIS...BUT STILL ENOUGH GOING ON TO KEEP A CHANCE
OF SHOWERS. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OVER NIGHT HAVE BEEN BELOW ADVISORY
CRITERIA...AND MODEL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS KEEP EVERYWHERE EXCEPT THE
VOLCANOES BELOW CRITERIA TODAY...SO WILL ALLOW THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR THE CASCADES TO EXPIRE AT 4 AM.
MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A NICE COMPACT COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW
SLIDING DOWN THE B.C. COAST FROM THE GULF OF AK...AND ACROSS W WA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS FEATURE SHOWS UP ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY THIS
MORNING OVER THE GULF OF AK. SNOW LEVELS WILL PROBABLY BE BELOW PASS
LEVELS WHEN THIS FEATURE GOES THROUGH.
MODELS KEEP THURSDAYS WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGE INTACT...BETWEEN THE
UPPER LEVEL LOW AND THE NEXT APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM. THIS LOOKS
TO BE ABOUT THE DRIEST PERIOD THIS WEEK...BUT WILL STILL HAVE TO
KEEP A SMALL CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST. KAM
.LONG TERM...GFS AND ECMWF HAVE FINALLY REACHED CONSENSUS ON THE
FRIDAY COLD FRONT. MODEL TIMING IS SIMILAR WITH RAIN MOVING INLAND
ACROSS W WA LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. FROPA LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE AROUND
SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE A FAIR
WINTER STORM FOR THE MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS LOOK LIKE THEY WILL STAY
AT OR BELOW PASS LEVELS...AND STRONG W FLOW ALOFT BEHIND THE SYSTEM
ON FRIDAY WILL ALLOW THE SNOW TO PILE UP OVER THE MOUNTAINS. GFS
PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE FAIRLY TIGHT...SO THIS COULD PRODUCE ADVISORY
LEVEL SE WINDS OVER THE N INTERIOR AND POSSIBLY MARGINAL HIGH WINDS
FROM THE W-NW BEHIND THE SYSTEM ON FRIDAY. WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE
COAST AND STRAIT FOR THIS...AND POTENTIALLY FOR NW WINDS COMING DOWN
THE STRAIT OF GEORGIA.
GFS/ECMWF ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT THAT ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
FOLLOW LATE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. BOTH MODELS HAVE BEEN HINTING AT AN
EXTENDED PERIOD OF PRECIP...POSSIBLY GOING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
STILL TOO MUCH VARIATION IN THE MODELS AND FROM RUN-TO-RUN AS WELL
TO PLACE MUCH WEIGHT TO ANY GIVEN SOLUTION. THE ACTIVE PATTERN
CONTINUES. KAM
&&
.HYDROLOGY...THE SKOKOMISH RIVER IS STILL RUNNING HIGH...HAVING
CRESTED JUST BELOW FLOOD STAGE MONDAY EVENING. SHOWER ACTIVITY TODAY
AND TONIGHT WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ENOUGH TO PUSH IT BACK TO NEAR
FLOOD. WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW REACHING THE AREA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THOUGH. THIS WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF RAIN...MAYBE
UP TO AN INCH...SO IT WILL GIVE THE RIVER ANOTHER NUDGE UP. THE
FRIDAY COLD FRONT ALSO WILL BRING A BRIEF PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN.
BEYOND THE SKOKOMISH RIVER...NO OTHER RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE
FLOOD PROBLEMS THROUGH SATURDAY.
GFS/ECMWF HAVE HAD A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS FOR THE FRONTAL SYSTEM
ARRIVING LATER SATURDAY. THE MAJORITY OF THE SOLUTIONS THE PAST
COUPLE OF DAYS HAVE SHOWN A PLUME OF MOISTURE REACHING THE GENERAL
REGION...BUT HAVE DIFFERED GREATLY ON LOCATION...TIMING...AND
DURATION OF ANY RAINFALL REACHING THE AREA. WILL STILL HAVE TO
MONITOR THE SITUATION AND WAIT FOR THE MODELS TO START APPROACHING
CONSENSUS ON A SOLUTION. UNCERTAINTY IN THE PATTERN THIS WEEKEND
ALSO APPLIES TO THE 8-10 DAY PERIOD NEXT WEEK. KAM
&&
.AVIATION...NEXT BAND OF SHOWERS JUST OFF THE COAST AT 11Z.
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH MOST OF THE ACTIVITY OVER THE
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA. ANOTHER LESS ORGANIZED FEATURE IS 3-6
HOURS BEHIND THE FIRST ONE. AIR MASS REMAINING UNSTABLE THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON HOURS BUT NOTHING REALLY ORGANIZING IN THE UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH OFFSHORE UNTIL LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
THIS BAND LOOKS TO BE THE STRONGEST OF ALL THE FEATURES TODAY.
CURRENT TIMING PUTS THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BAND ALONG THE COAST
21Z-00Z AND INTO THE INTERIOR 03Z-06Z WITH THE BAND TAKING ABOUT 6
HOURS TO CLEAR THE AREA. CEILINGS FOR MOST OF THE DAY IN THE 5000 TO
8000 FOOT RANGE WITH CEILINGS LOWERING TO 2000-3000 FEET WITH
VISIBILITIES 3-5SM IN THE HEAVIER SHOWERS THIS EVENING INTO EARLY
WEDNESDAY MORNING.
KSEA...IN GENERAL CEILINGS 5000-8000 FEET FOR MOST OF THE DAY
LOWERING TO 2000 TO 3000 FEET WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE HEAVIER SHOWER
BAND THIS EVENING. SOUTHERLY WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS WITH OCCASIONAL
GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS THIS MORNING AND LATE THIS EVENING. FELTON
&&
.MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS FOR THE COAST...EAST ENTRANCE
TO THE STRAIT...NORTHERN INLAND WATERS AND ADMIRALTY INLET THIS
MORNING INTO THIS EVENING. THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN ACTIVE WITH
ANOTHER SYSTEM ARRIVING WED NIGHT. A STRONGER FRONT WILL MOVE INLAND
ON FRI. CURRENT FORECAST HAS SMALL CRAFT WINDS FOR ALL OF THE WATERS
WITH THIS SYSTEM. CURRENT MODEL TRENDS ARE GETTING STRONGER WITH
THIS FRONT. IF THIS TREND CONTINUES LOOK FOR THE WINDS TO BUMPED UP
INTO THE GALE FORCE CATEGORY. FELTON
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY /FOR SNOW/ IS IN EFFECT FOR THE
CASCADES TIL 4 AM.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COAST...EAST ENTRANCE TO THE
STRAIT...CAMANO ISLAND TO POINT ROBERTS AND ADMIRALTY INLET.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GRAYS HARBOR BAR ROUGH CONDITIONS.
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE
FOR AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION...PLEASE SEE
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATESTWEBAFD.HTML.1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
NWAC station at Mt Baker reported 24 inches of snowfall during the 24-hour period ending 8 AM November 11.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 2009
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: 196485.