Northeast outflow wind from the Fraser River in British Columbia brought isolated high wind to the western Whatcom county 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.
Northeast outflow wind from the Fraser River in British Columbia brought isolated high wind to the western Whatcom county 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 6, 3:55 AM PST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
355 AM PST FRI DEC 6 2013
.SYNOPSIS...A WEAK LOW CENTERED OFF THE NORTHERN OREGON COAST WILL
MOVE SOUTHEAST TODAY BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP A CHANCE OF SNOW
OUT OF THE FORECAST FROM ABOUT OLYMPIA SOUTHWARD THIS MORNING. COLD
AND DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO MODERATE ACROSS THE REGION NEXT TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY AS THE LOW LEVEL FLOW FLIPS BACK TO ONSHORE.
&&
.SHORT TERM...SATELLITE IMAGERY AND DOPPLER RADARS SHOW SURFACE LOW
ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ASTORIA AT 11Z. BANDS OF MOISTURE
ROTATING AROUND THE LOW STILL OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON ON A LINE
FROM ABOUT PACIFIC BEACH TO OLYMPIA SOUTHWARD. HOQUIAM HAD A FEW
MINUTES OF SNOW LAST HOUR AND OLYMPIA HAS BEEN REPORTING LIGHT SNOW
FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS. WEB CAM FOR I-5 NEAR OLYMPIA SHOWS A
DUSTING OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. WEB CAM ON STATE ROUTE 109 ALONG THE
COAST ALSO SHOWS A DUSTING OF SNOW. SURFACE LOW NOT MOVING SOUTH AS
FAST AS THE MODELS INDICATE. THIS WILL KEEP BANDS OF MOISTURE AND A
CHANCE OF SNOW FROM THE OLYMPIA TO PACIFIC BEACH LINE SOUTHWARD THIS
MORNING. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT SO EXPECTING SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN AN INCH. WILL GO AHEAD AND END THE
ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL COAST WITH THE MORNING PACKAGE. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA COLD DRY AIR MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE REGION
THIS MORNING. OUTFLOW WINDS AT BELLINGHAM ARE SLOWLY INCREASING AND
WERE APPROACHING 20 MPH AT 11Z. KBLI-CYWL GRADIENT NOW DOWN TO NEAR
-11 MB AND WILL CONTINUE TO DROP THIS MORNING. BOTH THE NAM AND THE
GFS HAVE THE GRADIENTS BOTTOMING OUT AROUND -15 MB LATER TODAY. WILL
KEEP THE WIND ADVISORY UP FOR THE NORTH INTERIOR AND THE SAN JUANS.
IN ADDITION GRADIENT THROUGH THE STRAIT...KUIL-KBLI...APPROACHING -5
MB RESULTING IN WINDY CONDITIONS NEAR THE WEST ENTRANCE TO THE
STRAIT AS WELL. THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE WESTERN STRAIT WILL REMAIN
IN EFFECT. SKIES HAVE ALREADY CLEARED OUT OVER THE NORTH THIS
MORNING WITH THE CLEARING SKIES TREND SPREADING SOUTH DURING THE
DAY. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE WELL BELOW NORMAL WITH A
MAJORITY OF THE AREA NOT GETTING ABOVE FREEZING.
CLEAR SKIES AND COLD TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. KBLI-CYWL DOESNT
DECREASE MUCH OVERNIGHT WITH THE CLEAR SKIES REINFORCING THE COLD
AIR OVER SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA. THIS WILL KEEP THE ADVISORY
LEVEL OUTFLOW WINDS GOING THROUGH TONIGHT. WITH THE CLEAR SKIES
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE COLDEST LOCATIONS TO GET INTO THE
SINGLE DIGITS TONIGHT WITH TEENS COMMON ACROSS THE AREA.
SMALL CHANGES IN THE SURFACE PATTERN ON SATURDAY AS THE HIGH
PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA WEAKENS. THIS WILL BRING
ABOUT AN END TO THE WINDY CONDITIONS OVER THE NORTH INTERIOR...SAN
JUANS AND THE WESTERN STRAIT. TEMPERATURES ALOFT REMAINING COLD WITH
850 MB TEMPERATURES IN THE -10C TO -15C RANGE. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON
SATURDAY WILL ONCE AGAIN BE BELOW FREEZING. WITH THE LIGHTER SURFACE
GRADIENTS LOWS SUNDAY MORNING LOOK TO BE THE COLDEST IN THIS SERIES
WITH MOST PLACES BELOW 20 DEGREES.
SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS CROP UP ON SUNDAY WITH THE NAM
DEVELOPING A WEAK SURFACE LOW OFF THE CENTRAL COAST WITH SOME SNOW
DEVELOPING IN THE AFTERNOON. THE OTHER MODELS EITHER DONT HAVE THIS
FEATURE OR ARE MUCH WEAKER WITH IT. WANT TO SEE A LITTLE MORE
AGREEMENT IN THE MODELS BEFORE ADDING SNOW TO THE FORECAST FOR THE
CENTRAL COAST ON SUNDAY. FOR NOW WILL SHOW AN INCREASE IN CLOUD
COVER. PLENTY OF SUNSHINE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA WITH HIGHS
ONCE AGAIN MOSTLY BELOW FREEZING.
.LONG TERM...ONCE AGAIN THE EXTENDED MODELS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME
WITH THE TRANSITION OUT OF THIS COLD PATTERN FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON.
BOTH THE ECMWF AND THE CANADIAN MODEL DEVELOP A WEAK SHORTWAVE IN
THE NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT MONDAY AND MOVE THE SHORTWAVE OVER THE
AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE GFS IS WEAKER WITH THIS FEATURE
AND LATER WITH IT ARRIVING ON TUESDAY. THE AIR MASS WILL STILL BE
COLD ENOUGH MONDAY NIGHT...1000-850 MB THICKNESS VALUES STILL BELOW
1300 METERS...SO THAT IF THE SHORTWAVE DEVELOPS THE PRECIPITATION
WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW. WILL KEEP THE CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE
FORECAST FOR MONDAY NIGHT. THE EXTENDED MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT
WITH THE AIR MASS OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON WARMING UP ON TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY. THE GFS TIMING OF THE NEXT SYSTEM TO REACH THE AREA HAS
BEEN CONSISTENT THE LAST FEW RUNS WITH THE SYSTEM ARRIVING ON
WEDNESDAY. THE ECMWF HAS SLOWED DOWN THE SYSTEM WILL ITS ARRIVAL NOT
UNTIL THURSDAY. EITHER WAY THE AIR MASS IS WARM ENOUGH FOR THE
PRECIPITATION TO BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION
OF SOME LINGERING COLD AIR OVER WHATCOM COUNTY AND THE HOOD CANAL
AREA. CURRENT FORECAST FOLLOWS THE GFS SOLUTION AT THIS POINT AND
WILL STAY WITH THIS IDEA THIS MORNING. FELTON
&&
.HYDROLOGY...RIVER FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS.
&&
.AVIATION...DRY FLOW ALOFT OVER WASHINGTON WILL TURN MORE
NORTHEASTERLY TODAY...WITH SURFACE FLOW FOLLOWING SUIT IN THE WAKE
OF A PASSING WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM. THE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN COLD AND
MOSTLY STABLE. HIGH CLOUDS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO MOVE OUT OF WESTERN
WASHINGTON THIS EARLY MORNING...BUT ARE STILL EXPECTED TO EXIT ALONG
WITH THE SYSTEM THAT BROUGHT THEM...AND AS SUCH STILL EXPECTING
CLEARING SKIES BY MID TO LATE MORNING TODAY. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO REMAIN VFR...ALTHOUGH SOME MVFR WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE
COAST AS THE AFOREMENTIONED SYSTEM MAKES ITS WAY SOUTHWARD.
KSEA...VFR CIRRUS...CLEARING BY 14Z TO 18Z. NORTHEAST WINDS THIS
MORNING GENERALLY 10KT OR JUST BELOW...BUT AFTER 18Z WINDS WILL
INCREASE TO 15G25 KT BEFORE TAPERING OFF THIS EVENING. SMR
&&
.MARINE...WINDS WILL CHANGE TO NORTHEASTERLY IN THE WAKE OF A
PASSING WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM...WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF FRASER OUTFLOW
ENHANCED WINDS EXPECTED TODAY AND INTO SATURDAY. OBS RELAYED BY OPC
SHOWED GALES IN THE OUTER NORTHERN COASTAL WATERS...SO HAVE EXPANDED
GALE WARNING TO INCLUDE THIS AREA. FORECAST DATA REGARDING WIND
SPEEDS REMAINS CONSISTENT ELSEWHERE...WITH GALES ON THE NORTH
COAST...WEST ENTRANCE AND NORTHERN INLAND WATERS...SMALL CRAFT WINDS
IN ALL OTHER WATERS. ALSO CONSISTENT IS HOW THESE WINDS BEGIN TO
TAPER OFF...SO AREAS THAT CURRENTLY UNDER GALE WARNING WILL HAVE
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES TO FOLLOW UP ONCE GALES EXPIRE. THIS SHOULD
LEAVE DAY SHIFT PLENTY OF TIME TO FOCUS ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND
BEYOND. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO EASE SLOWLY SUNDAY AND INTO
MONDAY...BUT WILL REMAIN MOSTLY NORTHERLY AND OFFSHORE. SMR
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...WIND ADVISORY WESTERN WHATCOM...SAN JUANS AND WESTERN STRAIT
THROUGH TONIGHT.
PZ...GALE WARNING NORTH COASTAL WATERS...WEST ENTRANCE...AND
NORTHERN INLAND WATERS EARLY FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL OTHER WATERS.
&&
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATESTWEBAFD.HTML1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sandy Point Shores recorded sustained 40 mph wind a couple of times in the morning. It also recorded gusts of 58 mph or higher off and on over a longer period, from early in the morning until late in the evening.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2013
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: 485179.