High wind occurred on the coast and 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 occurred on the coast and 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 Jan 2, 9:00 AM PST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
900 AM PST MON JAN 2 2012
.SYNOPSIS...A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON
LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...BRINGING SOME RAIN AND LOCALLY WINDY
CONDITIONS. ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE OFFSHORE
WATERS TUESDAY AND THEN MOVE INLAND WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AN
UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION LATE THIS WEEK...AND ANOTHER
FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE OFFSHORE WATERS THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.SHORT TERM...A PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS IS
SLOWLY MOVING NORTHEAST TOWARD WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING. THIS
SYSTEM DEVELOPED MORE THAN MODELS WERE FORECASTING...SLOWING ITS
PROGRESS AND CAUSING IT TO BECOME NEGATIVELY TILTED. THE COMBINATION
OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE NORTHERN ROCKY
MOUNTAINS AND THE FRONTAL SURFACE TROUGH IS MAINTAINING MODERATELY
STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW. AS A RESULT EASTERLIES ALONG THE WEST SLOPES
OF THE CASCADES ARE LOCALLY GUSTING TO AROUND 35 MPH. A WIND
ADVISORY HAS BEEN IN EFFECT THERE SINCE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
THE LEADING EDGE OF PRECIPITATION WILL REACH THE COAST WITHIN THE
NEXT COUPLE HOURS AND SPREAD GENERALLY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA LATER TODAY. I WILL ISSUE A MINOR UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TO
REMOVE THE MENTION OF RAIN THIS MORNING FROM MANY OF THE WESTERN
WASHINGTON INTERIOR ZONES. EASTERLIES WILL HELP KEEP TEMPERATURES AT
OR BELOW FREEZING IN THE CASCADE PASSES...AND PRECIPITATION COULD
FALL AS FREEZING RAIN WHEN IT BEGINS LATE TODAY AND THIS EVENING.
THE EAST COMPONENT OF THE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS BEEN EASING
SLOWLY...AND IT WILL DROP FURTHER AS THE FRONT NEARS AND THE SOUTH
COMPONENT INCREASES. I WILL LET THE WIND ADVISORY EXPIRE AT 10 AM AS
SCHEDULED.
THE SURFACE FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING.
THE LONG WAVE UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. AT THE SAME TIME A STRONG MOIST
BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIDGE...
EXTENDING FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND SOUTH-SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE OFFSHORE
WATERS. ONCE AGAIN THERE WILL BE A STRONG SOUTHEAST SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT ACROSS THE REGION. WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION WILL FALL
OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH THE
HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OVER THE OLYMPICS AND NORTH COAST AND PERHAPS THE
MOUNT BAKER AREA. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE HIGH...BUT EASTERLIES IN
THE PASSES WILL MAINTAIN THE POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN.
THE BAROCLINIC BAND AND SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL WEAKEN AND MOVE
SLOWLY INLAND WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MCDONNAL
.LONG TERM...HERE IS THE LONG TERM SECTION FROM THE EARLY MORNING
ISSUANCE OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION -- RAIN TAPERS TO SHOWERS LATER
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THERE IS A LOT OF VARIATION AMONG THE VARIOUS
MODELS. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A PERIOD OF HEAVY MOUNTAIN
RAINFALL OVER THE WEEKEND BUT THE LATEST 00Z MODELS KEEP THE
HEAVIEST PRECIP TO THE NORTH. THE GFS EVEN SHOWS A STRONGER RIDGE
SOLUTION WITH MOSTLY DRY WEATHER. WILL LEAVE THE EXTENDED FORECAST
ALONE FOR NOW GIVEN THE HIGH DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN DESCRIBED ABOVE -- A STRONG MOIST
BAROCLINIC BAND EXTENDING SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND
ACROSS THE OFFSHORE WATERS PRESENTS A THREAT OF MINOR FLOODING FOR
THE SKOKOMISH RIVER BEGINNING MIDWEEK. THE LATEST MODELS DO NOT SHOW
VERY IMPRESSIVE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS HOWEVER...AT LEAST WITH
RESPECT TO THE AMOUNT NEEDED FOR FLOODING.
FLOODING IS UNLIKELY ON THE OTHER RIVERS IN THE FORECAST AREA.
MCDONNAL
&&
.AVIATION...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THIS
MORNING WILL BECOME WESTERLY TONIGHT. A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM IS
SLOWLY MOVING INLAND LATE THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON. LOW
LEVEL OFFSHORE FLOW AT THE LOWER LEVELS WILL WEAKEN THIS MORNING
WITH THE APPROACH OF THE FRONT. WEAK ONSHORE FLOW WILL DEVELOP
BEHIND THE FRONT LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. INCREASING
MID/HI LEVEL MOISTURE THIS MORNING WITH THE AIR MASS BECOMING MOIST
ALL LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON.
MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUD DECKS COVER WESTERN WASHINGTON WITH VFR
CONDITIONS. CEILINGS DETERIORATING RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE
FRONT LOWERING DOWN TO 1500 TO 2500 FEET. CEILINGS POSSIBLY LOWERING
A BIT MORE...TO THE 1000 TO 2000 FOOT RANGE WITH THE ONSHORE FLOW
BEHIND THE FRONT INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
KSEA...DISCUSSION ABOVE APPLIES. LIGHT SOUTHEAST WINDS TODAY RISING
TO 4 TO 8 KNOTS THIS EVENING. CHB
&&
.MARINE...LOW END GALE FORCE WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS OUT AHEAD
OF THE FRONT THIS MORNING WITH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS OVER THE
NORTHERN INLAND WATERS AS WELL AS THE ENTRANCES TO THE STRAIT OF
JUAN DE FUCA. THE GALE FORCE WINDS WILL COME TO AN END THIS
AFTERNOON OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AS THE FRONT MOVES INLAND WITH
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS OVER MOST OF THE INLAND WATERS.
AFTER A BRIEF WESTERLY PUSH THIS EVENING...ANOTHER WARM FRONT WILL
BRUSH THE AREA TUESDAY. MODELS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH THE
IDEA THAT STRONG SOUTHEAST PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL DEVELOP WITH THIS
FEATURE AS WELL FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF GALES FOR THE COASTAL WATERS.
THE FRONTAL SYSTEM SHOULD WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND WEDNESDAY...AND
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS THURSDAY AND MOVE
INLAND THURSDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER FRONT WILL ARRIVE ON FRIDAY. FELTON
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...WIND ADVISORY EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS THROUGH 10 AM MONDAY.
PZ...GALE WARNING COAST.
.SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ENTRANCES...ADMIRALTY INLET...AND NORTHERN
INLAND WATERS.
.SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH GRAYS HARBOR BAR.
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A cooperative observer near Bellingham recorded 42 mph sustained wind, with gusts to 63 mph.
The Hoquiam ASOS recorded 41 mph sustained wind, with gusts to 58 mph. A tide gauge in Westport recorded similar high wind.
A cooperative observer in Freeland recorded 46 mph sustained wind, with gusts to 58 mph. About 5000 people lost power on Whidbey Island.
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, January 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: 361413, 361415, 361414.