Brief high wind occurred in western Whatcom county and the San Juans.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Brief high wind occurred in western Whatcom county and the San Juans.
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 Mar 20, 2:00 AM PST, 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
300 AM PDT TUE MAR 20 2012
.SYNOPSIS...WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL HAVE SHOWERY AND WINDY WEATHER
TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A STRONG FRONT. MORE SNOW WILL FALL IN THE
CASCADES. A WEAKER SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN TO MAINLY SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY...THEN SPREAD NORTHWARD WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THURSDAY WILL BE ANOTHER COOL SHOWERY DAY WITH A DEEP UPPER LOW
OFFSHORE. QUIETER AND DRIER WEATHER IS LIKELY FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...A VIGOROUS OCCLUDED FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS MORNING BRINGING RAIN TO THE LOWLANDS...
SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS...AND WINDY CONDITIONS. THE FRONT...WHICH MADE
LANDFALL AT THE COAST AROUND 2 AM...EXTENDS SOUTHEAST FROM A MATURE
CYCLONE WITH A 968 MB SURFACE LOW THAT IS TRACKING EAST-NORTHEAST
NEAR HAIDA GWAII. PRECIPITATION HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
WITH THE SNOW LEVEL AROUND 2000 FT. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE ALONG
THE COAST AND IN THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR WITH ISOLATED SPOTS GUSTING
INTO THE 45 TO 55 MPH RANGE.
THE OCCLUDED FRONT WILL SWING QUICKLY THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON
DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. STRONG MOIST ONSHORE FLOW WILL FOLLOW THE
FRONT...AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA FROM THE
SOUTHWEST AND A 150 KT WESTERLY JET NOSES INTO THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
TODAY AND LOTS OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. I WILL POST A WIND ADVISORY
FOR THE COAST AND NORTHWEST INTERIOR THROUGH NOON TODAY. THE SHOWERS
AND WIND WILL TAPER OFF TONIGHT. A WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT
FOR THE CASCADES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT.
THE UPPER FLOW WILL BACK SLIGHTLY TONIGHT...WITH A STRONG SOUTHWEST
JET STILL NOSING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST -- MOST LIKELY JUST TO
THE SOUTH OF OUR FORECAST AREA. A WEAKER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP
AS A RESULT OF THIS LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH ITS
CORE OVER OREGON. PRECIPITATION ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THIS FEATURE
WILL SPREAD ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF THE CASCADES LATER WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THAT
WILL LEAVE ANOTHER COOL SHOWERY AIR MASS OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON
THURSDAY...AS A DEEP UPPER LOW CUTS OFF FROM THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH
AND DIGS SOUTH TO AROUND 48N/135W. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL INTO THE
500 TO 1000 FT RANGE LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING AND AGAIN
THURSDAY MORNING...SO WE COULD ONCE AGAIN SEE SOME SNOW ON THE
HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN WASHINGTON LOWLANDS. MCDONNAL
.LONG TERM...MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE CUT OFF
UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TRACKING ALMOST DUE SOUTH OFFSHORE BETWEEN
130W AND 135W...MOVING WEST OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON ON FRIDAY AND
THEN INTO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA OFFSHORE WATERS SATURDAY. THE
FRONTAL BAND ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW COULD CLIP WESTERN WASHINGTON.
MODELS AGREE LESS BEYOND FRIDAY. THE GFS SHOWS THE UPPER LOW MOVING
INLAND ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON SUNDAY AND THEN INTO IDAHO ON
MONDAY. THE EUROPEAN MODEL SHOWS THE LOW OPENING INTO A TROUGH AND
LIFTING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SO AGAIN THERE IS A CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION FOR THE AREA...BUT THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD FRIDAY
THROUGH MONDAY WILL BE QUIETER AND DRIER IF NOT ENTIRELY DRY.
MCDONNAL
&&
.HYDROLOGY...FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED ON ANY RIVER IN THE FORECAST
AREA DURING THE NEXT 7 DAYS. MCDONNAL
&&
.AVIATION...STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW TODAY WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH EARLY WED. STRONG LOW LEVEL SW FLOW WILL FOLLOW THIS FRONT
TODAY THEN SLOWLY RELAX TONIGHT. THE AIR MASS WILL BE MOIST AND
SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE THROUGH TONIGHT.
EXPECT CIGS MAINLY AROUND 020 TODAY WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS. SOME
CLEARING CAN BE EXPECTED TO THE EAST OF THE OLYMPICS AND COASTAL
TERRAIN AT TIMES 21Z-03Z. LOWER CLOUDS WITH CIGS 015-020 WILL
FILL BACK IN OVER THE INTERIOR VALLEYS THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT
AS LOW LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENTS RELAX AND THE AIR MASS STABILIZES
SOMEWHAT.
KSEA...THE FRONT WILL PASS ACROSS THE TERMINAL AROUND 12Z THIS
MORNING AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY 5-6SM -SHRA BKN020-025 THROUGH 21Z.
THEN SCT-BKN025 BKN040 21Z-03Z. CIGS WILL FILL IN AT BKN-OVC015
AFTER 03Z THROUGH TONIGHT. WINDS 12Z-03Z WILL BE 20015-18KT WITH
GUSTS 23-28KT. WINDS WILL DIMINISH AROUND 03Z THIS EVENING. ALBRECHT
&&
.MARINE...THE FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE INLAND WATERS VERY EARLY
THIS MORNING. BEHIND THE FRONT WIND WILL SHIFT TO SW 25-35 KT IN THE
COASTAL ZONES AND NORTH INTERIOR AND W 25-40 KT THROUGH THE STRAIT
OF JUAN DE FUCA. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 KNOTS CAN BE
EXPECTED OVER MOST OF PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL AND THE SOUTHERN
PORTION OF ADMIRALTY INLET. GALE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL
WATERS EXCEPT PUGET SOUND AND ADMIRALTY INLET WHERE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT. GALES ARE POSSIBLE TODAY OVER PORTIONS OF
PUGET SOUND...BUT CONFIDENCE WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO ISSUE FOR THAT
ZONE.
THE LOW MOVING ONTO THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF HAIDA GWAII THIS MORNING
IS QUITE STRONG WITH CENTRAL PRESSURES IN THE LOWER 960 MB RANGE.
WINDS AROUND THIS LOW ARE OVER 60 KNOTS AND AN IMPRESSIVE WAVE FIELD
HAS BEEN GENERATED TO THE SOUTH OF THE LOW. AT 1 AM THIS MORNING
BUOY 46036 NEAR 48N/134W WAS REPORTING A WSW WIND GUSTING TO 51 KT
AND SEAS OF 37 FT AT 14 SECONDS. THE BULK OF THIS WAVE FIELD WILL
MOVE ONTO VANCOUVER ISLAND...BUT A LARGE 20-25 FOOT SWELL WILL DECAY
INTO THE COASTAL WATERS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A
HIGH SURF ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COAST FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HIGHEST
HIGH TIDES ON THE NORTH COAST ARE ONLY AROUND 8 FT...SO THERE IS NOT
SUFFICIENT THREAT TO THE SOUTH JETTY PROTECTING LA PUSH ON THE NORTH
COAST TO WARRANT A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH.
A WAVE OF LOW PRES WILL MOVE BY TO THE SOUTH WEDNESDAY...BUT A
TROUGH EXTENDING NORTHWARD ALONG THE COAST WILL PRODUCE SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY CONDITIONS OVER PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL WATERS. ALBRECHT
&&
.AVALANCHE...WEAK SURFACE SNOW INGREDIENTS ALREADY IN PLACE FOR
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE AVALANCHE DANGER ON TUESDAY AS A
STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE AREA. SNOWFALL AND WINDS
PICKING UP CURRENTLY ALL AREAS AND WITH VERY WEAK HOAR FROST OR
COLDER LOW DENSITY SNOW LYING IN WAIT...SHOULD DEVELOP INCREASINGLY
SENSITIVE WIND SLABS DURING FRONTAL PASSAGE. WARNING ALREADY IN
EFFECT AND WILL UPDATE AGAIN THIS MORNING. ONCE AGAIN A TIME TO
RATCHET BACK BOTH TRAVEL AND TERRAIN EXPECTATIONS...AS TRAVEL IN
AVALANCHE TERRAIN NOT RECOMMENDED. WITH STRONG OROGRAPHIC FLOW
PERSISTING AT LEAST INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY AND FRONT POSSIBLY STALLING
IN SOUTH AS UPPER LOW DIGS SOUTHWARD...WARNING CONDITIONS MAY
CONTINUE OR EVEN INCREASE FOR AWHILE. MOORE
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...WINTER STORM WARNING CENTRAL AND NORTH WASHINGTON CASCADES.
AVALANCHE WARNING FOR OLYMPICS AND CASCADES NEAR AND WEST
OF CREST.
WIND ADVISORY COAST AND NORTHWEST INTERIOR ZONES THIS MORNING.
PZ...GALE WARNING ALL WATERS EXCEPT PUGET SOUND.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY PUGET SOUND.
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.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sandy Point Shores and a cooperative observer near Bellingham recorded sustained wind of 40-42 mph.
Lopez Island recorded sustained wind of 42 mph.
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, March 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: 361443, 361444.