Cold air near at the surface and an incoming front produced local heavy snow over the Kitsap Peninsula portion of the Hood Canal Area.
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.
Cold air near at the surface and an incoming front produced local heavy snow over the Kitsap Peninsula portion of the Hood Canal Area.
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 Dec 25, 3:00 AM PST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
300 AM PST TUE DEC 25 2012
.SYNOPSIS...A PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN TO WESTERN
WASHINGTON TODAY. PRECIPITATION WILL LOCALLY FALL AS SNOW IN THE
LOWLANDS...MAINLY IN THE HOOD CANAL AREA. THE FRONT WILL WEAKEN OVER
THE AREA TONIGHT AND A WEAK TROUGH WILL MOVE INLAND WEDNESDAY.
RELATIVELY DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH THIS WEEKEND
WITH ONLY WEAK SYSTEMS MOVING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
&&
.SHORT TERM...AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS MOVING INLAND ACROSS THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST EARLY THIS MORNING...AND THE VIGOROUS FRONTAL
SYSTEM IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM IS SPREADING PRECIPITATION INTO THE
REGION. AT 3 AM PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING ALONG THE WASHINGTON COAST
AND OVER THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA WITH THE SNOW LEVEL GENERALLY AROUND
800 FT. EASTERLY PRESSURE GRADIENTS HAVE BEEN INCREASING ACROSS THE
CASCADES OVERNIGHT...BUT THEY REMAIN RATHER WEAK AND EASTERLY WINDS
OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE HAVE YET TO DEVELOP ALONG THE WEST FLANK OF THE
CASCADES.
THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TODAY...WITH PRECIPITATION ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN WASHINGTON. IT WILL
WEAKEN AS IT DOES SO THOUGH...AS THE MAIN WESTERLY JET SUPPORTING
THE SYSTEM IS HEADING INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
THE SNOW LEVEL SHOULD LOWER A BIT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO
DIABATIC COOLING AS PRECIPITATION INCREASES. DEW POINTS ARE ONLY IN
THE LOWER TO MID 30S THOUGH...SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE SNOW LEVEL WILL
ONLY FALL LOCALLY TO AROUND 300 FT. THE CASE FOR SIGNIFICANT LOW
ELEVATION SNOW...WHICH WAS RATHER MARGINAL TO BEGIN WITH...LOOKS
UNLIKELY ANYWHERE EXCEPT IN THE FAVORED ZONE OF THE HOOD CANAL AREA.
THE PREVIOUS SHIFT BACKED AWAY FROM THIS SCENARIO A BIT LAST
EVENING...AND I WILL BACK AWAY A BIT MORE THIS MORNING BY LOWERING
THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY TO A SNOW
ADVISORY. IN ADDITION...COOL AIR DRAINAGE FROM THE FRASER RIVER
COULD BRING SNOW LEVELS IN WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY DOWN TO AROUND 500
FT THIS AFTERNOON.
EASTERLY GRADIENTS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THIS MORNING AND PEAK
ABOUT MIDDAY...HOWEVER THE LATEST MODEL RUNS HAVE BACKED OFF
SLIGHTLY ON THE STRENGTH OF THE EASTERLY FLOW. FOR NOW WE WILL HOLD
ON TO A LOW-END WIND ADVISORY FOR THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS
ZONE.
PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT BUT DECREASE IN INTENSITY AS THE
FRONTAL SYSTEM WEAKENS OVER THE AREA. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE AROUND
1500 TO 2000 FT.
A WEAKENING POST-FRONTAL TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA LATER
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND THE WEAK SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE INLAND
FOR A SWITCH TO ONSHORE FLOW. IT WILL BE A SHOWERY DAY BUT
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL NOT BE ESPECIALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE SNOW
LEVEL WILL RISE TO AROUND 2500 FT.
THE NEXT UPPER RIDGE WILL MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...REACH THE COAST THURSDAY...AND MOVE INLAND THURSDAY NIGHT.
THERE IS STILL A CHANCE OF SHOWERS EACH PERIOD...BUT THIS WILL BE A
RELATIVELY DRY STRETCH WITH NO REAL WEATHER OF IMPACT. MCDONNAL
.LONG TERM...WEAK WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL MOVE FROM THE OFFSHORE WATERS
INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND BRITISH COLUMBIA ON SATURDAY. AGAIN
THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON...BUT
NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. ANOTHER UPPER RIDGE WILL PROGRESS
OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON SUNDAY FOR DRIER BUT POTENTIALLY FOGGY
WEATHER. CONFIDENCE IS RATHER LOW FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH MODELS
VARYING BETWEEN THE IDEAS OF ANOTHER RATHER WEAK SYSTEM ARRIVING AND
A STRONGER UPPER RIDGE OVER THE REGION. MCDONNAL
&&
.HYDROLOGY...RIVER FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 7
DAYS. MCDONNAL
&&
.AVIATION...MODERATE TO STRONG SW FLOW ALOFT WILL WEAKEN AND BECOME
WESTERLY TONIGHT AS A FRONT AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH OFFSHORE MOVES
EAST INTO THE AREA. THE AIR MASS WILL BE MOIST AND STABLE.
AN OCCLUDING FRONTAL SYSTEM OFFSHORE WILL APPROACH THE AREA TODAY
THEN WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND THIS EVENING. PRECIPITATION HAS
STARTED ALONG THE COAST. DUAL POLARIZATION DATA FROM THE LANGLEY
HILL RADAR SHOWS THE BASE OF THE MELTING LAYER AROUND 850 FEET THIS
MORNING AND THE TOP 1800 FEET. FORECAST MODELS HAVE GENERALLY BACKED
OFF ON PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS TODAY AS THE INCOMING FRONT MOVES
IN...LIKELY DUE TO THE FRONT SPLITTING AS IT MOVES ONSHORE WITH THE
JET STREAM PUSHING UPPER LEVEL ENERGY INLAND WELL TO THE SOUTH OF
THE AREA. LOWER PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS LOWER THE RISK FOR SUFFICIENT
EVAPORATIVE COOLING TO PRODUCE ACCUMULATING SNOW AT ANY OF THE
TERMINALS TODAY. ANY SNOWFLAKES THAT ARE SEEN WILL LIKELY BE MIXED
WITH RAIN AND WILL NOT CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS. THE EXCEPTION WOULD BE AT
BELLINGHAM LATER THIS MORNING OR THIS AFTERNOON WHERE COOLER AND
DRIER AIR IS FLOWING SOUTHWEST OUT OF THE FRASER RIVER VALLEY.
CEILINGS IN OFFSHORE FLOW ARE VFR THIS EARLY THIS MORNING. THEY WILL
FALL TO AROUND 025 AS PRECIPITATION SPREADS EAST AND PRECIPITATION
RATES INCREASE DURING THE MORNING HOURS.
THE OCCLUDED FRONT WEAKENS AND STALLS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ABUNDANT MOISTURE COMBINED WITH GRADUALLY
WEAKENING WINDS WILL RESULTING IN LIGHT RAIN AT TIMES AND CEILINGS
GRADUALLY FALLING FROM ABOUT 025 THIS EVENING TO AROUND 010 LATE
TONIGHT. ALBRECHT
KSEA...CIGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER THIS MORNING REACHING AROUND 025
18Z. PRECIPITATION AT THE TERMINAL IS NOW EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THE
FORM OF LIGHT RAIN...THOUGH A WET SNOW FLAKE MAY MIX IN FOR THE
FIRST HOUR OR SO. THE PROBABILITY OF GETTING A SNOW ACCUMULATION IS
QUITE SMALL. EAST WIND 8 TO 12 KT WILL TURN SE AND DECREASE TO 5-8
KT ABOUT 01Z THIS AFTERNOON. ALBRECHT
&&
.MARINE...A STRONG OCCLUDED FRONT OFFSHORE WILL REACH THE COASTLINE
LATE THIS AFTERNOON THEN WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND THIS
EVENING. GALE FORCE EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY
OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND IN THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN STRAIT OF
JUAN DE FUCA. WINDS ARE UNLIKELY TO REACH GALE FORCE OVER THE EAST
ENTRANCE TO THE STRAIT OR THE NORTHERN INLAND WATERS AS THE FRONT
WILL BE WEAKENING AS IT MOVES INLAND THIS EVENING...SO THE GALE
WATCH THERE HAS BEEN DROPPED AND A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT
THROUGH THIS EVENING.
A 994 MB LOW CENTERED WELL OFFSHORE WILL SLOWLY FILL AS IT MOVES TO
THE COASTLINE LATE WEDNESDAY. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WRAPPING
AROUND THE SOUTH SIDE OF THIS FILLING LOW WILL GIVE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY CONDITIONS AT TIMES TO THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
WINDS WILL RELAX ON THURSDAY. WINDS WILL TURN SOUTHERLY ON FRIDAY AS
A WEAKENING SYSTEM APPROACHES THE OFFSHORE WATERS. HOWEVER WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW 21 KNOTS ALONG THE COAST WITH FRIDAYS
WEAKENING FRONT. ALBRECHT
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE HOOD CANAL AREA.
.WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY...
SOUTHWEST INTERIOR...AND BREMERTON AREA.
.WIND ADVISORY FOR THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS.
PZ...GALE WARNING COAST...WEST ENTRANCE...AND CENTRAL STRAIT TODAY.
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML.1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Around 4 inches of snow fell over the western Kitsap Peninsula during a roughly 10-hour period on Dec 25. Spotters reported 4.5 inches of snow at Seabeck and 3.8 inches just 3 miles south of Seabeck. Similar amounts were reported from the intersection of Highways 19 and 104 and then onto Highway 103 to near Bremerton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2012
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: 424973.