High wind occured over the northwest interior.
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.
High wind occured over the northwest interior.
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 26, 11:02 PM PST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1102 PM PST SAT NOV 26 2011
.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY
MORNING. LOOK FOR A PERIOD OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY
PRECIPITATION AHEAD OF AND WITH THIS FRONT. IMPROVING CONDITIONS
WILL OCCUR SUNDAY AFTERNOON BUT EVEN MORE SUNDAY NIGHT. WEAK HIGH
PRESSURE ALOFT WILL PREVAIL OVER THE AREA ON MONDAY. ALAS...ANOTHER
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MIGHT AFFECT THE REGION ON TUESDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...A VIGOROUS CDFNT WAS APPROACHING FAR NRN VANCOUVER
ISLAND AT THIS TIME PER SFC ANALYSES. THIS FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS
THE CWA SUNDAY MORNING. EXPECT A PERIOD OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY
HEAVY PRECIP IN ADVANCE OF AND WITH THE FRONT. THIS SYSTEM REMAINED
TAPPED INTO A MOISTURE FEED FROM THE SUBTROPICS PER SATELLITE
IMAGERY. THE HEAVIEST PRECIP WILL OCCUR ON THE SW FACING SLOPES OF
THE OLYMPICS AND N CASCADES. THE GFS INDICATED 1-3 INCHES OF LIQUID
WILL FALL ON THE N CASCADES IN THE 18-HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 0000 UTC
MON. HOWEVER SOME OF THIS WILL FALL AS SNOW...PARTICULARLY BEHIND
THE FRONT. THE NAM WAS SIMILAR IN AMOUNTS ACROSS THE N CASCADES BUT
WETTER OVER THE OLYMPICS...WHERE UP TO 3.5 INCHES COULD FALL DURING
THE 12-HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 1800 UTC. AS STATED IN THE HYDRO
SECTION...THE SKOKOMISH...NOOKSACK...AND STILLAGUAMISH WILL NEED TO
BE CLOSELY MONITORED.
ANOTHER ITEM THAT BEARS WATCHING IS THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN
IN THE PASSES. PRECIP IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT OR LESS THAN A TENTH
OF AN INCH DURING THE PERIOD FREEZING RAIN WILL MOST LIKELY OCCUR...
BETWEEN NOW AND 1500 UTC...WHICH IS NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT AN
ADVISORY OR WARNING. WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST THOUGH TO MENTION
FREEZING RAIN IN THE PASSES.
CONCERNING WINDS...NOTICED THAT THE MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF SOME ON
THE SPEEDS OVER THE AREAS WHERE THE HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PARTS OF THE SAN
JUANS...N PART OF WHIDBEY ISLAND...AND WRN WHATCOM COUNTY...SPEEDS
MIGHT JUST END UP IN THE ADVISORY CRITERIA RANGE. WINDS SHOULD DROP
OFF QUICKLY ACROSS MOST AREAS BEHIND THE CDFNT SUNDAY MORNING.
THE UPPER TROF WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY AFTERNOON...WITH
THE PRECIP BECOMING MAINLY CONFINED TO THE CASCADES. EXPECT WEAK
HIGH PRES ALOFT TO PREVAIL OVER THE REGION ON MON. BOTH THE NAM AND
GFS WERE INDICATING THAT A LOW PRES SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION ON
TUE. THE GFS WAS FASTER AND STRONGER WITH THIS FEATURE THAN THE NAM.
AT ANY RATE...IT APPEARED THAT TUE MIGHT NOT BE A DRY DAY AFTER
ALL...ESPECIALLY FOR THE NW HALF OF THE CWA.
.LONG TERM FROM THE PREV DISCUSSION...
MODELS SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGH TRACKING THROUGH
WESTERN WA TUE NIGHT INTO WED FOR A BRIEF RETURN OF SHOWERS. SNOW
LEVELS MAY DROP BACK DOWN TO 2500 FT BUT HEAVY PRECIP IS NOT
EXPECTED. THE MOUNTAINS MAY ONLY SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW. STRONG
HIGH PRES OVER THE NE PAC WILL MAINTAIN A DRY PATTERN ACROSS THE PAC
NW THURSDAY THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. LOW TEMPS WILL DROP BACK TO THE
UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S WITH LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW AND LESS CLOUD
COVER. HIGH TEMPS WILL RANGE IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. 33
&&
.HYDROLOGY FROM THE PREV DISCUSSION...
WASHINGTON IS DEFINITELY IN THE WARM SECTOR WITH ALL THE PASSES AND
SKI AREAS REPORTING TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING THIS AFTERNOON. THE
MISSING INGREDIENT FOR FLOODING IS RAIN. MOST OF WASHINGTON HAS HAD
ONLY LIGHT RAIN TODAY. THE SOUTHERN OLYMPICS AND MOUNT BAKER HAVE
HAD SOMEWHAT MORE BUT NO SITE HAS HAD AN INCH YET.
MODELS HOWEVER INSIST THERE WILL BE ABOUT A 12 HOUR PERIOD OF HEAVY
RAIN IN THOSE PLACES TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT
MOVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. THE VARIOUS MESOSCALE MODELS
DISAGREE ABOUT AMOUNTS...RANGING FROM THREE TO SIX INCHES IN THE
SOUTHERN OLYMPICS AND ON MOUNT BAKER...BUT ALL AGREE ABOUT TIMING
AND LOCATION. THE RIVER FORECAST CENTER MODEL USED QPF AROUND THE
AVERAGE...AND NOW SHOW THE RIVERS OF CONCERN ALL CRESTING BELOW
FLOOD STAGE.
THE HIGHER AMOUNTS COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING WHILE THE LOWER
AMOUNTS ARE PROBABLY NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. SO THE PRUDENT COURSE IS TO
MAINTAIN THE FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL THREE RIVERS OF CONCERN...THE
SKOKOMISH...NOOKSACK...AND STILLAGUAMISH. BURKE
&&
.AVIATION...A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. STRONG WEST/SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TONIGHT WILL
BECOME MODERATE NORTHWEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AIR MASS MOIST AND
STABLE. STRONG SOUTHEAST SURFACE WINDS WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT...
ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN AREAS.
CEILINGS WILL DETERIORATE TONIGHT AND WILL LIKELY BE MVFR IN RAIN AT
ALL TERMINALS BY SUNDAY MORNING. CEILINGS WILL REMAIN 2000 TO 3000
FEET MOST OF SUNDAY WITH SOME CLEARING AT THE EDGES LATE IN THE DAY.
A CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL LIKELY FORM LATE IN THE DAY NORTH OF SEATTLE.
KSEA...WINDS WILL BE SOUTHERLY 3-6 KT TONIGHT THEN INCREASE TO 12G20
KT AFTER 12Z SUNDAY. SCHNEIDER
&&
.MARINE...A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING GALE FORCE SOUTHERLY
WINDS TO MOST WATERS TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING WITH POSSIBLE STORM
FORCE WINDS NORTH COAST AND NORTHERN INLAND WATERS. A WESTERLY GALE
IS LIKELY FOR A FEW HOURS IN THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA SUNDAY
AFTERNOON BEHIND THE FRONT.
HIGH TIDE OVER THE NORTH IS AROUND 7 AM SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WOULD
COINCIDE WITH THE HIGHEST SOUTHEAST WINDS. THOUGH LITTLE POSITIVE
ANOMALY IS LIKELY FROM THE INVERSE BAROMETRIC EFFECT...THE WINDS
COULD CAUSE MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS EXPOSED TO
LONG SOUTHEAST FETCHES OVER WATER. A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FOR LAND
AREAS AROUND THE NORTHERN INLAND WATERS IS IN EFFECT TO COVER THIS.
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE WATERS STARTING LATE SUNDAY
AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK FOR FAIRLY LIGHT
WINDS. SCHNEIDER
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 AM PST SUNDAY FOR THE NORTH INTERIOR
AND COAST.
COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TIL 9 AM PST SUNDAY FOR MUCH
OF THE NORTH INTERIOR.
FLOOD WATCH FROM 4 AM PST SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR
WHATCOM...SNOHOMISH...AND MASON COUNTIES.
PZ...STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST SUNDAY FOR THE COASTAL WATERS
FROM CAPE FLATTERY TO JAMES ISLAND OUT TO 60 NM AND THE
NORTHERN INLAND WATERS.
GALE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE REMAINING WATERS EXCEPT
THE PUGET SOUND/HOOD CANAL.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST MONDAY FOR THE PUGET
SOUND AND HOOD CANAL.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH BAR UNTIL 6 PM PST SUNDAY
FOR THE GRAYS HARBOR BAR.
&&
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cherry Point recorded 40 mph sustained wind. Ferndale had a 62 mph gust. A building which was in it's framing stages was blown down near of Squalicum High School.
Pleasant Harbor recorded a 58 mph gust.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (KNUW) and the Keystone ferry dock recorded 40 mph sustained wind.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, November 2011
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: 350662, 350663, 350661.