High wind occurred on the central coast and in the Admiralty Inlet 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.
High wind occurred on the central coast and in the Admiralty Inlet 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 Feb 17, 9:00 PM PST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
900 PM PST FRI FEB 17 2012
.SYNOPSIS...TONIGHT WILL BE SHOWERY IN THE WAKE OF A FRONT. A
VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH WILL KEEP THE WEATHER COOL AND SHOWERY
SATURDAY...WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS COAST AND SOUTH PART.
SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE HEAVY TONIGHT AND SATURDAY AS THE
SNOW LEVEL DROPS TO 2000 FEET. A RELATIVE BREAK IN THE WEATHER IS
LIKELY SUNDAY...WITH A WET AND MILD PATTERN DEVELOPING NEXT WEEK.
&&
.SHORT TERM...THERE WILL BE SHOWERS TONIGHT IN THE WAKE OF A COLD
FRONT...MORE NUMEROUS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. AN UPTICK IN SHOWER
ACTIVITY IS LIKELY LATE SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES THROUGH. A WEAK UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD
OVER THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...BRINGING DRIER AND MORE
STABLE AIR. A WARM ADVECTION SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE RAIN AND HIGHER
SNOW LEVELS MONDAY.
MOIST AND UNSTABLE ONSHORE FLOW WILL MEAN CONTINUED SNOW FOR THE
MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...TAPERING SATURDAY NIGHT. SNOW
LEVELS WILL BE BELOW PASS LEVELS AND ALL AREAS SHOULD SEE ONE TO TWO
FEET OF NEW SNOWFALL BY SATURDAY NIGHT.
A SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK INLAND JUST TO THE NORTH OF WESTERN
WASHINGTON...KEEPING BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST
THROUGH SATURDAY. THE WINDIEST CONDITIONS SHOULD BE AT THE COAST AND
NORTH INTERIOR BUT EVEN CENTRAL PUGET SOUND WILL SEE LOCALLY WINDY
WEATHER...ESPECIALLY SATURDAY.
AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OVERHEAD...THE AIR MASS WILL COOL ENOUGH FOR
SHOWERS TO POSSIBLY MIX WITH SNOW ON THE HIGHEST HILLS AWAY FROM THE
WATER BY SATURDAY MORNING. THIS THREAT WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY
NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS...IF ANY...SHOULD BE SPOTTY AND INSIGNIFICANT.
THERE WILL ALSO BE A THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE COAST SATURDAY
BUT LIFTED INDICES ARE FORECAST TO STAY ABOVE ZERO AND CAPE IS
NEGLIGIBLE SO THE THREAT LOOKS PRETTY SLIM. SCHNEIDER
.LONG TERM...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...MODELS AGREE ON A LONG PERIOD OF
MOIST NORTHWESTERLY FLOW TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HAVE LIKELY POPS
OVER THE LOWLANDS FOR THIS PERIOD WITH CATEGORICAL POPS IN THE
MOUNTAINS. SIGNIFICANT DIVERGENCE IN MODEL TIMING AFTER THAT MAKES
THE FORECAST DIFFICULT. HOWEVER BOTH THE GFS AND THE EURO EVENTUALLY
DEVELOP A COLD UPPER LOW OVER THE AREA...ONE THAT COULD EASILY BRING
A LITTLE SNOW TO THE HIGHER HILLS BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. BURKE
&&
.HYDROLOGY...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING INLAND HAS
ALREADY RAINED A HALF INCH OR SO ON THE SOUTHERN OLYMPICS. THE RAIN
THERE WILL TAPER SOMEWHAT TONIGHT BUT INCREASE AGAIN SATURDAY IN
SHOWERS. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL TO 1500 FEET OR SO ON SATURDAY SO
SOME OF THE PCPN IN THE SKOKOMISH BASIN WILL BE SNOW. TOTAL QPF
FORECAST THERE IS ON THE ORDER OF 2.5 INCHES. WITH RELATIVELY DRY
ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE
SKOKOMISH REACH THE FLOOD STAGE OF 16.5 FEET...BUT THE RIVER WILL
RISE SHARPLY. THE OFFICIAL RFC FORECAST HAS IT CRESTING AT 16.0 FEET
SATURDAY NIGHT.
NEXT WET FEATURE IS A DIRTY RIDGE THAT BRINGS COPIOUS QPF TUESDAY
NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. DURING THIS EVENT THE SNOW LEVEL WILL RISE TO
5000 FEET OR HIGHER. THE QPF FORECAST IS TWO OR THREE INCHES MAINLY
IN THE NORTH CASCADES. THIS IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE SHARP RISES IN RIVERS
FLOWING OFF THE NORTH CASCADES BUT PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH FOR FLOODING.
WILL WATCH HOW THIS EVENT EVOLVES IN THE MODELS. BURKE
&&
.AVIATION...THE STRONG COLD FRONT THAT CROSSED W WA THIS EVENING HAS
BROKEN UP OVER THE CASCADES. AN UPPER LEVEL AND 994 MB SURFACE LOW
JUST W OF THE N TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AT 03Z WILL MOVE SE OVER
SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND BY 20Z...WHILE THE SURFACE LOW FILLS TO
1008 MB. THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE WEAKENING 20Z-06Z AS IT MOVES OVER
EASTERN WA. A MOIST SHOWERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER W WA
THROUGH SATURDAY. CONDITIONS WILL VARY WIDELY FROM GOOD VFR IN SPOTS
WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN LONGER LULLS IN SHOWER ACTIVITY...TO MVFR AND
LOCAL BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS WHERE SHOWERS ARE FREQUENT. STRONG S-SW
PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL MAINTAIN GUSTY SURFACE WINDS.
.KSEA...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS KSEA TONIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY. CONDITIONS WILL VARY FROM CIGS ABOVE BKN050 TO BRIEF IFR
CIGS/VIS WHEN SHOWERS ARE OVERHEAD. CIGS SHOULD BE PREDOMINANTLY
BKN-OVC020-040 WITH VISIBILITY P6SM. S-SW SURFACE WINDS WILL
CONTINUE 9=15KT GUSTING TO AROUND 25 KT AT TIMES. WSW WINDS ALOFT
FROM FL050-FL100 WILL VARY FROM 35-50 KT 12Z-21Z. KAM
&&
.MARINE...A STRONG 994 MB LOW NEAR THE N TIP OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AT
03Z WILL MOVE SLOWLY SE OVER SOUTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND BY MIDDAY
SATURDAY...WHILE FILLING TO AROUND 1008 MB. THE LOW WILL OPEN UP
INTO A SURFACE TROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS IT CROSSES THE
CASCADES...REACHING THE ID PANHANDLE BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
A SURFACE RIDGE WILL BEGIN BUILDING INLAND IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE
LOW...WITH PRESSURE GRADIENTS GRADUALLY WEAKENING THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING...UNTIL THE RIDGE SETTLES BRIEFLY AS A
SURFACE HIGH OVER W WA MIDDAY SUNDAY. STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENTS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF GALE FORCE WINDS IN
MOST AREAS. IN ADDITION THE LOW HAS GENERATED A LARGE W SWELL TRAIN
FROM 23-28 FT THAT WILL REACH THE W COAST AFTER 08Z AND REMAINING
ABOVE 20 FT THROUGH ABOUT SATURDAY EVENING.
GALES AND HIGH SURF WARNING ARE ALL UP...SO NO CHANGES TO THE SUITE
OF WARNINGS. THE ONLY CHANGES WERE SOME SMALL FIRST PERIOD
MODIFICATIONS TO THE WINDS TO ACCOUNT FOR A BRIEF LULL IN WINDS OVER
THE INTERIOR IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. KAM
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...HIGH SURF WARNING SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING ALONG THE COAST.
.WINTER STORM WARNING CASCADES TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
.WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY OLYMPICS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.
.WIND ADVISORY COAST AND NORTHWEST INTERIOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.
PZ...GALE WARNING ALL WATERS.
.SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH BAR GRAYS HARBOR BAR.
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML.2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Freeland had sustained wind of 44 mph off and on for several hours.
The tide gauge at Westport recorded sustained 37 KT wind off and on for several hours.
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, February 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: 361430, 361431.