A frontal system combined with weak Fraser River outflow to produce heavy snow over Western Whatcom County and San Juan County, and also at Mt Baker in the Northern Cascades.
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.
A frontal system combined with weak Fraser River outflow to produce heavy snow over Western Whatcom County and San Juan County, and also at Mt Baker in the Northern Cascades.
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 22, 3:50 PM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
350 PM PST SAT FEB 22 2014
.SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON
TONIGHT AND ANOTHER WILL ARRIVE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. COOL
AIR COMING OUT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA SHOULD CHANGE THE PRECIPITATION
BACK TO SNOW SUNDAY IN THE NORTH PART OF WESTERN WASHINGTON. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. WEAK WEAK
WEATHER SYSTEMS MAY AFFECT THE AREA NEXT WEEK.
&&
.SHORT TERM...A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREAS THAT
ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO GET COOL AIR COMING OUT OF THE FRASER SUNDAY.
TEMPERATURES TONIGHT IN THE MID 30S PROBABLY WONT WARM MUCH IN THE
NORTH PART OF WESTERN WA SUNDAY. WHETHER THERE WILL BE ENOUGH
PRECIPITATION TO NEED A WINTER STORM WARNING IS HARD TO SAY...AND
THE WATCH COULD BE CHANGED TO AN ADVISORY TONIGHT. IT DOES SEEM TO
ME THAT THE PERIOD OF TIME TO WATCH IS SUNDAY EVENING...WHEN THE
SECOND BATCH OF MOISTURE ARRIVES. ONCE AGAIN TODAY THE MODELS RANGE
FROM TOO WARM FOR SNOW IN THE ECMWF TO THE MORE INTERESTING SOLUTION
OF THE 4KM WRFGFS. THE NAM LOOKS PRETTY BORDERLINE...BUT IF THE
BELLINGHAM TO WILLIAMS LAKE GRADIENT DOES GET AROUND -13MB SUNDAY
MORNING...WHICH IS WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO...THEN THE WATCH DOES
LOOK LIKE A GOOD IDEA. CURRENTLY THERE IS NO FRASER OUTFLOW AND THE
GRADIENT WAS STILL FLAT THIS AFTERNOON. AFTER THE SYSTEM SUNDAY
EVENING MOVES THROUGH DRY OFFSHORE FLOW WILL END THE THREAT OF
PRECIP AROUND MONDAY MORNING. A WEAK SYSTEM MIGHT BRUSH THE AREA
TUESDAY...BUT MAINLY GOES INTO OREGON OTHERWISE DRY WEATHER AND
PERHAPS CLEARING IS LIKELY FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUE NIGHT.
.LONG TERM...SOLUTIONS HAVE FLOPPED AROUND FROM DRY AND COOL TO MILD
AND WET. THE FORECAST IS BROADBRUSHED WITH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS. WE
MAY SEE A WARM FRONT AROUND WEDNESDAY...BUT AFTER THAT SYSTEMS MIGHT
GO INTO CALIF AND PRETTY MUCH AVOID THE PACNW FOR THE LATTER HALF OF
THE WEEK BUT I HAVE NOT DONE THAT TO THE FORECAST YET.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...RIVERS ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL CONTINUE TO
RECEDE AND FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS
MORNING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT AS AN UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH
MOVING THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON. NORTHERLY OFFSHORE LOW LEVEL FLOW
WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT. THE AIR MASS WILL BE GENERALLY MOIST AND
STABLE.
CONDITIONS FOR TAF SITES EAST OF THE SOUND...SEA...PAE...BFI AND
BLI...REMAIN IN IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS THIS MORNING WITH FOG AND
LIGHT PRECIP BEING REPORTED. THESE FOUR SITES SHOULD SEE SOME SLIGHT
IMPROVEMENT TO THEIR CIGS BY LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON TO MORE IN
THE MVFR RANGE...THOUGH IFR CIGS STILL POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY DURING
OR NEAR PRECIP. SPEAKING OF WHICH...PRECIPITATION COULD FALL AS SNOW
OR MIXED PRECIPITATION INITIALLY...AS HAS BEEN OBSERVED AT BLI...BUT
IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE TO RAIN BY 18Z. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT
EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT...EXCEPT POSSIBLY LATE TONIGHT AT KBLI OR
KCLM.
KSEA...SOUTHERLY WINDS 4-8 KT THIS MORNING THROUGH TONIGHT. SHOWERS
HAVE STARTED A LITTLE EARLY AND ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OFF AND ON
THROUGH THE DAY TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT. A RAIN/SNOW MIX MAY BE
POSSIBLE AFTER 06Z TONIGHT WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW
ARISING LATE SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. MCDONNAL/SMR
&&
.MARINE...A 1016 MB LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ALONG THE WEST COAST OF
VANCOUVER ISLAND TODAY. MARGINAL SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WESTERLIES
SHOULD DEVELOP OVER THE COASTAL WATERS.
NORTHEAST PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL INCREASE OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON
AND THE COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT AS A 1043 MB HIGH MOVES INTO CENTRAL
BRITISH COLUMBIA. NORTHEAST FRASER OUTFLOW WINDS WILL INCREASE AS
EARLY AS LATE TONIGHT AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH SUNDAY AND SUNDAY
NIGHT. WILL INTERROGATE TIMING FURTHER AS 12Z DATA COMES IN.
REGARDLESS...GALES ARE A GOOD BET FOR THE NORTHERN INLAND
WATERS...WEST ENTRANCE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA...AND THE NORTHERN
COASTAL WATERS MIDDAY SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. WILL KEEP THE
GALE WATCH FOR THOSE MARINE ZONES AS IS WITH THE 9 AM FORECAST
PACKAGE...BUT MAY HAVE TO ALTER TIMING FOR THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE.
MODERATE TO STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL GRADUALLY EASE
BY WEDNESDAY. MCDONNAL/SMR
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...WINTER STORM WATCH 4AM SUNDAY TO 4AM MONDAY FOR THE NORTH
COAST...WESTERN AND EASTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA...SAN JUAN
ISLANDS...WESTERN WHATCOM AND WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY...ADMIRALTY
INLET...HOOD CANAL AREA...EVERETT AND VICINITY. WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COASTAL WATERS...WEST ENTRANCE STRAIT OF
JUAN DE FUCA.
GALE WATCH NORTHERN COASTAL WATERS...WEST ENTRANCE STRAIT OF
JUAN DE FUCA...NORTHERN INLAND WATERS SUNDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.
&&
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTMLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1203 PM PST SAT FEB 22 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM SNOW 4 SW ANACORTES 48.45N 122.69W
02/22/2014 M2.0 INCH PZZ133 WA PUBLIC
SNOW FELL FROM 7 AM TO 1030 AM.
1202 PM SNOW 4 SW ANACORTES 48.45N 122.69W
02/22/2014 M2.0 INCH PZZ133 WA PUBLIC
ON FIDALGO ISLAND. SNOWED FROM 7 TO 1030 AM.
&&
GRUBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1204 PM PST SAT FEB 22 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1202 PM SNOW 4 SW ANACORTES 48.45N 122.69W
02/22/2014 M2.0 INCH PZZ133 WA PUBLIC
ON FIDALGO ISLAND. SNOWED FROM 7 TO 1030 AM.
&&
GRUBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
USFS NWAC station at Mt Baker measured 18 inches snow in 24 hours ending 6 pm Feb 23.
Numerous reports from trained spotters indicated that 4 to 10 inches of snow fell across the Western Whatcom County zone.
Several reports from trained spotters indicated that 4 to 10 inches of snow fell across the San Juan County zone.
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: 511825, 511823, 511824.