A Pacific frontal system brought heavy snow to Mt Baker in the North Cascades. One skier, one snowboarder triggered and caught in slide, both partially buried.
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.
A Pacific frontal system brought heavy snow to Mt Baker in the North Cascades. One skier, one snowboarder triggered and caught in slide, both partially buried. Skier was able to self-rescue himself and then other rider. Both sustained injuries.
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 11, 9:57 AM PST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
957 AM PST TUE FEB 11 2014
.SYNOPSIS...A VIGOROUS FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING COPIOUS RAIN...
MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO WESTERN WASHINGTON LATER
TODAY AND TONIGHT. ANOTHER WEAKER SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW ON WEDNESDAY...
FOLLOWED BY A RELATIVE BREAK IN THE WEATHER THURSDAY. THEN ANOTHER
STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...AND
THE STORMY PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.SHORT TERM...A MATURE 992 MB LOW CENTER IS EXPECTED TO PASS NEAR
CAPE FLATTERY AND MOVE ENE TOWARD KBLI/CYVR LATE TONIGHT. IN ADVANCE
OF THE LOW...GRADIENTS ARE PREDOMINANTLY EASTERLY...WITH THE 12Z NAM
PEAKING SOUTHERLY PRE-FRONTAL 925 MB WINDS ARND 45-55 KT FROM THE
CENTRAL COAST TO THE SOUTH SOUND REGION. CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO UPGRADE
THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL COAST TO A WARNING...AND HAVE
ADDED AN ADVISORY OVER THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR...MAINLY FOR THE
EASTERN HALF OF THURSTON COUNTY. THIS PATTERN CAN BRING FAIRLY
STRONG SOUTHERLIES FOR PLACES LIKE LAKE LAWRENCE AND YELM. FURTHER
NORTH CLOSER TO THE LOW TRACK...THE PRE-FRONTAL EASTERLY GRADIENTS
ARE MOST FAVORABLE FOR STRONGER WINDS IN THE ADMIRALTY INLET
AREA...WITH A LESSENING RISK AS YOU MOVE NORTH PAST THE SAN JUANS
AND FIDALGO ISLAND. HAVE UPGRADED THE WATCH TO A WIND ADVISORY IN
THESE LOCATIONS. WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY SEEMS TOO CLOSE TO THE LOW
TRACK TO MAKE STRONGER WIND LIKELY. WESTERN WHATCOM TENDS TO KEEP A
LIGHT EAST WIND IN THE PRE-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT...AND THE 12Z NAM MOS
GUIDANCE NEVER PICK THE WIND AT KBLI ABOVE 10 KT TONIGHT. IT IS NOT
TO SAY THAT STRONGER WIND IS IMPOSSIBLE TONIGHT...A MORE NORTHWARD
TRACK OF THE LOW OR UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD MIXING OF WINDS ALOFT COULD
YIELD BRIEFLY STRONGER WIND...BUT IT SEEMS UNLIKELY. THEREFORE...
CANCELLED THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR WESTERN WHATCOM. HANER
RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL ALSO BE A FACET OF TONIGHT'S SYSTEM.
REMAINDER OF SHORT TERM DISCUSSION FROM 300 AM ISSUANCE...
PRECIPITATION WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE OLYMPICS
WILL GET UP TO 4 INCHES OF WATER EQUIVALENT DURING THE 48 HOUR
PERIOD ENDING LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL FALL IN
THE CASCADES. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL RISE TO 4500 TO 6000 FT AHEAD OF
THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT. THE WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE UPGRADED TO A
WARNING FOR THE NORTH CASCADES...BUT I WILL GO WITH AN ADVISORY FOR
THE CENTRAL CASCADES AND HURRICANE RIDGE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE
OLYMPICS. THE HIGHWAY PASSES WILL PROBABLY GET AROUND 4 TO 12 INCHES
OF SNOW.
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE A WIND PRODUCER ALSO...WITH A 991 MB SURFACE LOW
MOVING NORTHEAST FROM THE WASHINGTON OFFSHORE WATERS ACROSS THE
SOUTH END OF VANCOUVER ISLAND LATE TONIGHT. THE LOW WILL PROBABLY
STARTING TO FILL AS IT MAKES LANDFALL...BUT IT IS TAKING A FAIRLY
CLASSIC SOUTHEAST SUCKER TRACK. FINER SCALE MODELS... ESPECIALLY THE
UW 4KM WRF-GFS JUSTIFIES A LOW-END HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE TWO COAST
ZONES AND THE FOUR NORTH INTERIOR ZONES...AND WE WILL GO WITH THAT.
IF CURRENT MODEL TIMING IS CORRECT...THEN THERE WILL BE ANOTHER
RELATIVE BREAK IN THE WEATHER ON THURSDAY. MCDONNAL
.LONG TERM...FROM PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...ANOTHER FAIRLY VIGOROUS
FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON LATER THURSDAY
NIGHT AND FRIDAY BRINGING MORE RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND WIND.
ANOTHER SIMILAR SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE AROUND SATURDAY...AND YET ANOTHER
SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY. MCDONNAL
&&
.HYDROLOGY...THE FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON
LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT AND THE SHORTWAVE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL RESULT IN UP TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE
SKOKOMISH RIVER BASIN. THIS COULD PRODUCE A MINOR FLOOD ON THE
SKOKOMISH...AND I WILL ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH WITH THE EARLY MORNING
FORECAST PACKAGE.
EVEN IF THE RAIN IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS DOES NOT DRIVE THE
SKOKOMISH TO FLOOD STAGE...THERE IS A FARLY GOOD CHANCE THAT IT WILL
FLOOD LATER IN THE WEEK AS THE SUCCESSION OF FRONTS BRING MORE RAIN.
RIVER FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED ELSEWHERE OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS.
HOWEVER THE WET AND MILDER WEATHER PATTERN THIS WEEK WILL PRODUCE
SHARP RISES ON RIVERS THROUGHOUT WESTERN WASHINGTON. MCDONNAL
&&
.AVIATION...STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE. A FLAT UPPER
LEVEL SHORTWAVE RIDGE WILL MOVE QUICKLY ACROSS W WA 18Z-21Z
ACCOMPANIED BY A WEAK SURFACE RIDGE. A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
APPROACH THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON WITH A 992 MB SURFACE LOW
CROSSING THE N WA COAST AROUND 10Z. RAIN WILL SPREAD OVER THE COAST
AROUND 21Z AND THE INTERIOR 00Z WITH CIGS GRADUALLY LOWERING AS THE
FRONT APPROACHES. STRONG SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE
SYSTEM TONIGHT.
THE AIR MASS REMAINS FAIRLY MOIST WITH LOCAL CIGS BKN020-040 FROM
SEATTLE NORTHWARD...AND SOME SPOTTY IFR AROUND KPWT. RADAR SHOWS
SOME SMALL ISOLATED MAINLY OVER THE SW INTERIOR. THIS LOWER LAYER
SHOULD MOSTLY DISSIPATE 18Z-21Z...BUT PER ABOVE RAIN FROM AN
APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BEGIN RE-MOISTENING THE AIR MASS
21Z-00Z.
KSEA...HIGH CLOUDS WILL REMAIN OVER KSEA THROUGH 20Z...WITH A BKN050
LAYER FORMING ROUGHLY 20Z-21Z. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE AREA
23Z-00Z WHICH WILL GRADUALLY LOWER CIGS TO BKN-OVC020-030. SURFACE
WINDS WILL REMAIN SOUTH 5-12 KT THROUGH AT LEAST 03Z THEN INCREASE.
NO WIND SHIFTS EXPECTED. S WINDS ALOFT WILL RISE ABOVE 40 KT AROUND
03Z. KAM
&&
.MARINE...WINDS SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN BELOW 20 KT THIS MORNING AS
A WEAK SURFACE RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.
A STRONG SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE TONIGHT. MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT
IN BRINGING A FILLING 992 MB SURFACE LOW ASHORE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
CAPE FLATTERY AND TOFINO A LITTLE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL INCREASE BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND GALES ARE LIKELY
OVER ALL WATERS TONIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TO RAMP UP THE WINDS
THIS AFTERNOON IS IN EFFECT. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT.
POST-FRONTAL ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
WESTERLY GALES IN THE STRAIT ARE LIKELY. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF HAVE
ANOTHER FRONT ARRIVING THURSDAY NIGHT...AND THEN ANOTHER SATURDAY
NIGHT. THESE FRONTS COULD ALSO PRODUCE GALES. CHB/KAM
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE CENTRAL COAST TONIGHT.
WIND ADVISORY FOR THE NORTH COAST...ADMIRALTY INLET ARAE...
SAN JUAN ISLANDS... WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST INTERIOR
TONIGHT.
WINTER STORM WARNING NORTHERN CASCADES TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
MORNING.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY OLYMPICS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CENTRAL CASCADES TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
MORNING.
FLOOD WATCH SKOKOMISH RIVER LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL WATERS TODAY.
GALE WARNING ALL WATERS TONIGHT.
&&
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML1 avalanche, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
One skier, one snowboarder triggered and caught in slide, both partially buried. Skier was able to self-rescue himself and then other rider. Both sustained injuries.
USFS NWAC station at Mt Baker measured 13 inches snow in 12 hours ending 2 am Feb 12.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, February 2014
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: 545750, 511814.