One to 4 inches of snow fell over most western Washington lowland locations. The late afternoon commute took hours for some and one man was killed outside his car on Interstate 5 in Tacoma.
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.
One to 4 inches of snow fell over most western Washington lowland locations. The late afternoon commute took hours for some and one man was killed outside his car on Interstate 5 in Tacoma.
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 22, 4:00 AM PST, 5 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
400 AM PST MON NOV 22 2010
.SYNOPSIS...A COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON
THIS AFTERNOON. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN
WASHINGTON THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. CLEARING IS EXPECTED LATER
TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY WITH COLD TEMPERATURES AS THE LOW MOVES OFF TO
THE EAST. THE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SEASONABLE
TEMPERATURES WITH RAIN AFTER THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.
&&
.SHORT TERM...SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SHORTWAVE NUMBER TWO HEADING
TOWARD WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING. AT 11Z THE SHORTWAVE WAS IN
THE VICINITY OF THE QUEEN CHARLOTTES. WSR-88D ALREADY STARTING TO
LIGHT UP WITH A FEW SNOW FLURRIES OVER THE AREA. THE SNOW FLURRIES
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS AS THE SHORTWAVE MAKES ITS
WAY DOWN THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COASTAL WATERS. THE SHORTWAVE WILL
MOVE INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS AFTERNOON. THIS COMBINED WITH AN
UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING DOWN FROM THE NORTH OVER THE AREA WILL
INCREASE THE PRECIPITATION OVER MOST OF WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS
AFTERNOON. COLD AIR ALREADY IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA WITH
TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING ACROSS THE CWA AT 11Z. SURFACE GRADIENTS
ARE ALREADY NORTHERLY AND WITH THE CLOUD COVER IN PLACE TEMPERATURES
WILL NOT WARM UP AT ALL THIS MORNING. IN FACT WITH THE INCREASING
NORTHERLY GRADIENTS THIS AFTERNOON PULLING DOWN ANOTHER SHOT OF
MODIFIED ARCTIC AIR INTO THE AREA TEMPERATURES WILL ACTUALLY DROP
THIS AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL INCREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
WITH LITTLE IF ANY SNOW EXPECTED AROUND BELLINGHAM WITH UP TO 1 TO 3
INCHES OF SNOW FROM SEATTLE SOUTHWARD THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY
EVENING HOURS. EXPECT THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WHERE THE CONVERGENCE SETS
UP BETWEEN THE LOW LEVEL NORTHERLY WINDS MEETING UP WITH THE
SOUTHERLY WINDS INDUCED BY THE DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW. AT THE POINT
IT LOOKS LIKE THE SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP OFF THE COAST THIS
MORNING AND MOVE INLAND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN OLYMPIA AND PORTLAND THIS
AFTERNOON. THE 1 TO 3 INCH SNOW AMOUNTS ARE A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE
CURRENT MODELS ARE PREDICTING FOR THE SEATTLE AREA BUT MODEL CROSS
SECTIONS SHOW VERY STRONG LIFT OVER THE AREA LATER THIS MORNING INTO
THE AFTERNOON HOURS WHICH SHOULD HELP ENHANCE THE PRECIPITATION
RATES AS THE SHORTWAVE ARRIVES. AS THE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS TO THE
SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON THE NORTHERLY SURFACE GRADIENTS WILL INCREASE
WITH THE FRASER OUTFLOW WINDS OVER THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR PICKING UP
TO ADVISORY LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. UPPER
LEVEL LOW AND THE SHORTWAVE MOVING EAST QUICKLY TONIGHT WITH DRY
NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPING. SURFACE GRADIENTS WILL RELAX WITH
THE WINDS DECREASING OVERNIGHT. SKIES CLEARING OUT BY TUESDAY
MORNING LEAVING JUST A CLEAR AND COLD DAY IN STORE FOR THE AREA.
HIGH TEMPERATURES BOTH TODAY AND TUESDAY WILL BE BELOW FREEZING
ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN WASHINGTON. THIS IS A RARE EVENT FOR NOVEMBER.
AT SEA-TAC THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN 14 DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF THE
AIRPORT WEATHER RECORDS...WHICH GO BACK TO 1945...WHERE THE HIGH HAS
BEEN 32 DEGREES OR LESS IN NOVEMBER...NOVEMBER 12-17 1955...NOVEMBER
21-24 AND 28-30 1985 AND NOVEMBER 28TH 2006. LOW TEMPERATURES BOTH
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE WELL BELOW FREEZING. THERE IS A
CHANCE THE COLDER LOCATIONS WILL GET INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TUESDAY
NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE ON WEDNESDAY AS AN UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS OFF THE COAST. A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING OVER THE
TOP OF THE RIDGE WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON BUT AT
THIS POINT IT LOOKS LIKE THE SYSTEM WILL DISSIPATE BEFORE IT REACHES
THE AREA. WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST JUST FOR THE
COAST ON WEDNESDAY. FELTON
.LONG TERM...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENING AND MOVING OVER WESTERN
WASHINGTON ON THURSDAY. MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN BRINGING
A WARM FRONT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE AREA TO HAVE A CHANCE OF RAIN IN
THE FORECAST FOR THANKSGIVING. TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVING INTO
WESTERN WASHINGTON ON FRIDAY WITH THE PRECIPITATION OUT AHEAD OF THE
FRONT SPREADING INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. A COOL UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH SETS UP OFF THE COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY WITH A LESS
ORGANIZED SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE AREA ON SATURDAY. MODEL SOLUTIONS
DISAGREE ON THE TIMING OF THIS FEATURE WITH THE GFS A LITTLE SLOWER
WHILE THE ECMWF BRING THE SYSTEM THROUGH FAST ENOUGH TO SHOW SOME
IMPROVEMENT IN THE WEATHER FOR SUNDAY. NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN
EITHER SOLUTION TO CHANGE THE FORECAST AND WILL STAY WITH THE LIKELY
POPS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. FELTON
&&
.HYDROLOGY...THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT A FLOOD PRODUCING PATTERN
WILL DEVELOP WITHIN THE NEXT TEN DAYS.
&&
.AVIATION...AN UPPER TROUGH OVER CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL MOVE
SOUTH WITH AN UPPER LOW FORMING AND MOVING OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AT THE SURFACE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL
BUILD OVER SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA WITH A LOW DEVELOPING OVER
NORTHWEST OREGON TODAY. AIR UNSTABLE. NORTHERN AREAS GENERALLY DRY.
LOW AND MID LEVEL MOISTURE FROM ABOUT EVERETT SOUTHWARD.
CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE TODAY FROM ABOUT EVERETT SOUTHWARD AS
THE NEXT NORTHERLY SURGE DEVELOPS AND SNOW BECOMES WIDESPREAD.
LOCATIONS FARTHER NORTH SHOULD SEE LIMITED...IF ANY LOW CLOUDS AND
SNOW TODAY.
KSEA...NORTH WIND AROUND 10 KT THIS MORNING WILL RISE TO 15 TO 25 KT
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 KT POSSIBLE. CLOUDS
WILL GRADUALLY LOWER EARLY THIS MORNING WITH FLURRIES...THEN MORE
STEADY SNOW IS EXPECTED LATE THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON.
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS MORNING
THROUGH EARLY EVENING. SCHNEIDER
&&
.MARINE...NORTHERLY GRADIENTS EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATER TODAY
BRINGING GALES FORCE WINDS MOST WATERS IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER LOW
DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH AND A SURFACE LOW FORMING OVER
NORTHWEST OREGON. THE SURFACE HIGH OVER BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL WEAKEN
AND SLIDE SOUTHEAST TUESDAY AND A WEAK PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
APPROACH THE COASTAL WATERS FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL TURN THE LOW
LEVEL GRADIENTS MORE EAST/SOUTHEAST. THE FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE
OUTER WATERS WEDNESDAY LIKELY BRINGING SOME SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
SOUTHEAST WINDS TO THE COASTAL WATERS. A STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM
WILL LIKELY BRING SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SOUTHEAST WINDS TO MOST OF
THE WATERS THURSDAY OR FRIDAY. SCHNEIDER
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL AREAS
EXCEPT PARTS OF THE NORTH INTERIOR THROUGH THIS EVENING.
WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY...WESTERN
WHATCOM AND SKAGIT COUNTIES...AND THE ADMIRALTY INLET AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PZ...GALE WARNING OUTER COASTAL WATERS...CENTRAL AND EAST
STRAIT...NORTHERN INLAND WATERS...ADMIRALTY INLET...AND
PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY INNER COASTAL WATERS AND WEST ENTRANCE.
FOR AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION...PLEASE SEE
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML.4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
The late afternoon commute took hours for some and one man was killed outside his car on Interstate 5 in Tacoma. Twelve people were injured, none seriously, when a bus overturned in Tacoma.
After up to 3 inches of snow fell, the late afternoon commute took up to 5 hours for some people. Several roads were closed, including the northbound I-5 express lanes. A number of schools and colleges were closed the next day.
A man was killed when his truck slid backward into an embankment north of Darrington in Skagit county.
Troopers responded to more than 75 collisions on state highways in Snohomish county.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Tacoma Area | 2010-11-22 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect | |
| Winter Weather, West Slopes Northern Cascades and Passes | 2010-11-22 | 42 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 2010
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 268905, 268906, 268908, 268909.