Heavy Snow, Kittitas Valley
- When
- November 21, 3:00 PM PST to November 22, 8:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kittitas Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.791, -120.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold and Heavy Snow in Washington, November 21 to 24, 2010
An Arctic cold front combined with Pacific moisture to produce widespread heavy snowfall and very cold temperatures. Snow and ice created dangerous driving conditions which led to numerous accidents.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 14
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 PDT wrote it up.
An Arctic cold front combined with Pacific moisture to produce widespread heavy snowfall and very cold temperatures. Snow and ice created dangerous driving conditions which led to numerous accidents. Two fatalities occurred near Tieton on November 22. Snowfall amounts in inches included Thorp (6), 5 miles north northwest of Ellensburg (5.5), 5 miles north northeast of Yakima (5), Toppenish (7.5), Yakima (4), Kennewick (8.5), Richland (4), 8 miles west northwest Connell (4.5), 2 miles south southeast of Richland (7), 3 miles north northwest of Waitsburg (5), 6 miles east of Dayton (4), Touchet SnoTel (8), Trout Lake (9), 7 miles north northwest of Easton (13), 2 miles north northwest of Goldendale (7), and Bickleton (9).
After the snow ended, clearing skies led to subzero temperatures in many areas including 12 below zero at Bickleton which was the coldest ever for November at Bickleton. Other subzero readings were at Ellensburg (-9), Hanford (-8), Pasco (-7), Selah (-6), Yakima (-10), Walla Walla (-2), Cle Elum (-5), Dayton (-8), Glenwood (-7), Goldendale (-3), Sagemoor (-11), Wapato (-7), Whitman Mission (-11) and Ski Bluewood (-10).
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 heavy snow, 7 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades
- When
- November 21, 5:00 PM PST to November 23, 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Heavy Snow, Northwest Blue Mountains
- When
- November 21, 5:00 PM PST to November 23, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northwest Blue Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Mesonet
- Coordinates
- 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Simcoe Highlands
- When
- November 21, 5:00 PM PST to November 23, 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- Simcoe Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.166, -120.764 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley
- When
- November 21, 8:00 PM PST to November 23, 7:00 AM PST
- Where
- Yakima Valley forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 2 indirect
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -120.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Blue Mountain Foothills
- When
- November 21, 10:00 PM PST to November 23, 1:00 PM PST
- Where
- Blue Mountain Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lower Columbia Basin
- When
- November 21, 10:00 PM PST to November 23, 9:00 AM PST
- Where
- Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.220, -119.419 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Blue Mountain Foothills
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Blue Mountain Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kittitas Valley
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kittitas Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 46.791, -120.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Columbia Basin
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 46.220, -119.419 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Blue Mountains
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Northwest Blue Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 46.264, -118.193 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Simcoe Highlands
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Simcoe Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 46.166, -120.764 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Yakima Valley
- When
- November 23, 6:00 PM PST to November 24, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Yakima Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -120.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley | 2010-11-22 | 58 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley | 2010-11-22 | 59 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, November 21 to 22, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, November 21 to 23, 2010
- Extreme Cold and Heavy Snow in Oregon, November 21 to 24, 2010
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 21 to 22, 2010
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, November 21 to 23, 2010
- Ice Storm in Alaska, November 21 to 25, 2010
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Wyoming, November 21 to 22, 2010
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 21 to 23, 2010
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Eastern Pacific Coastal Waters, November 21, 2010
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, November 21 to 23, 2010
- Winter Weather in Minnesota, November 21, 2010
- Winter Weather in Colorado, November 21 to 22, 2010
More
Every storm in Washington in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 2010
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 263408, 263407, 263410, 263411, 263413, 263406, 263409, 263414, 263415, 263416, 263417, 263419, 263420, 263421.