A Pacific front produced heavy snow at Mt Baker.
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 front produced heavy snow at Mt Baker.
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 29, 2:00 AM PST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
300 AM PDT SAT MAR 29 2014
CORRECTION TO THE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES SECTION
.SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER TROUGH WILL PRODUCE SHOWERY WEATHER THIS
WEEKEND AS IT MOVES ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON FROM THE OFFSHORE
WATERS. THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS WILL BE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS. ANOTHER OFFSHORE UPPER LOW WILL TRACK TOWARD
CALIFORNIA EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH MAINLY DRY WEATHER LIKELY MONDAY
THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WET WEATHER WILL LIKELY RETURN LATE IN THE WEEK.
&&
.SHORT TERM...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES OVER WESTERN
WASHINGTON EARLY THIS MORNING AHEAD OF A DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
OFFSHORE. THE AIR MASS IS MOIST AND WEAKLY UNSTABLE WITH SHOWERS
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES AT 2 AM WERE IN THE 40S TO
LOWER 50S...AND THE SNOW LEVEL IS AROUND 4000 FT.
AN AREA OF ENHANCED SHOWERS IS JUST OFFSHORE THIS MORNING IN THE
SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE UPPER TROUGH...WITH ITS LEADING SHOWER
BAND SHOWING UP NOW ON THE COASTAL RADAR. THIS FEATURE WILL MOVE
INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING. THE AIR MASS WILL DESTABILIZE
A BIT MORE TODAY...DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING AND MARGINAL COOLING
ALOFT. IN ADDITION WE WILL BE IN FAIRLY STRONG CYCLONIC SHEAR ALONG
THE NORTH SIDE OF THE 120 KT SOUTHWEST JET ACROSS NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA. SO TODAY SHOULD BE A SHOWERY AND BREEZY DAY...AND A
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA LOOKS
REASONABLE.
THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE INLAND TONIGHT. SHOWERS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY
BUT WILL BE DECREASING OVERALL. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS SHOULD
GENERALLY BE LESS SUNDAY AND THERE COULD BE SOME DECENT SUN BREAKS.
THE SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL TO AROUND 3500 FT TONIGHT AND 3000 FT ON
SUNDAY. A COUPLE INCHES OF SNOW FELL AT MOST SPOTS OVERNIGHT...BUT
SNOWFALL SHOULD INCREASE TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. A SNOW
ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CASCADES ABOVE 4000 FT THROUGH SUNDAY
MORNING. AROUND 10 TO 16 INCHES OF SNOW IS LIKELY DURING THAT PERIOD
FOR MT BAKER AND PARADISE AT MT RAINIER. STEVENS PASS WILL PROBABLY
RECEIVE 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW...AND SNOQUALMIE PASS -- AT AN
ELEVATION OF ONLY 3000 FT -- SHOULD RECEIVE ONLY A COUPLE INCHES.
ANOTHER DEEP UPPER LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE WATERS WELL OFFSHORE ON
SUNDAY...AND IT WILL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
OFFSHORE WATERS MONDAY NIGHT. WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE IN THE NORTHEAST
QUADRANT OF THIS UPPER LOW COULD BRING SOME SHOWERS TO WESTERN
WASHINGTON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...HOWEVER MOST RECENT MODEL RUNS
KEEP THIS ALMOST ENTIRELY TO THE SOUTH OF OUR FORECAST AREA. MOST
AREAS SHOULD HAVE PARTLY SUNNY SKIES MONDAY AND A DRY OR MOSTLY DRY
DAY. MCDONNAL
.LONG TERM...THE UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEAST ALONG THE
CALIFORNIA COAST TUESDAY...LEAVING WESTERN WASHINGTON IN WEAK
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THEN A WEAK UPPER RIDGE WILL PROGRESS ACROSS
THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. WE WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE
FORECAST FOR THIS PERIOD...AN IDEA SUPPORTED MAINLY BY THE EUROPEAN
MODEL. BUT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY SHOULD BE PARTLY SUNNY DAYS AND THE
THREAT OF SHOWERS IS RATHER SLIGHT.
THE UPPER RIDGE WILL MOVE EAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND SEVERAL
RELATIVELY WEAK SYSTEMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN
QUICK SUCCESSION WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. IF THE
GFS SOLUTION IS BASICALLY CORRECT...THEN THIS WILL BRING
PRECIPITATION BACK TO THE FORECAST AREA. OUR FORECAST LEANS HEAVILY
TOWARD THAT IDEA. THE EUROPEAN MODEL SHOWS THESE SYSTEMS TRACKING
SOUTHEAST TOWARD CALIFORNIA THOUGH AND MOSTLY MISSING WESTERN
WASHINGTON. MCDONNAL
&&
.HYDROLOGY...A FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE REGION JUST
UPSTREAM OF THE LANDSLIDE THAT BLOCKED THE NORTH FORK STILLAGUAMISH
RIVER IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY. FLOODING CONTINUES AS A RESULT OF WATER
POOLED BEHIND THE BLOCKAGE. HOWEVER THE RIVER HAS ESTABLISHED A
COURSE THROUGH AND AROUND A BLOCKAGE...WHICH HAS ALLEVIATED THIS
FLOODING TO SOME DEGREE.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA ALONG THE NORTH
FORK STILLAGUAMISH DOWNSTREAM OF THE LANDSLIDE...FOR THE POSSIBILITY
OF A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING FLOOD IF WATER POOLED BEHIND THE SLIDE WERE
TO BE SUDDENLY RELEASED. THIS HAS BECOME LESS LIKELY AS WELL SINCE
THE RIVER STARTING FLOWING THROUGH THE BLOCKAGE...BUT SOME THREAT
REMAINS.
THE FLOOD WARNING AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE AND UPDATED ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
THE FLOW ON THE NORTH FORK STILLAGUAMISH RIVER HAS BEEN INCREASING
OVERNIGHT...AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS
WET WEATHER CONTINUES. PRECIPITATION TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY WILL
AMOUNT TO AROUND 1.0 TO 1.5 INCHES NEAR THE SITE OF THE SLIDE AND
UPSTREAM IN THE STILLAGUAMISH BASIN. THE NORTH FORK STILLAGUAMISH
RIVER WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A RISE OF ABOUT 2 FT DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS. DRIER WEATHER WILL PREVAIL MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
THE SKOKOMISH RIVER NEAR POTLATCH WAS JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN A FOOT
BELOW FLOOD STAGE AT 2 AM BUT APPARENTLY REACHING A CREST. MORE RAIN
THIS WEEKEND COULD DRIVE IT TO NEAR FLOOD STAGE THIS WEEKEND.
OTHERWISE RIVER FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED IN THE FORECAST AREA DURING
THE NEXT 7 DAYS. MCDONNAL
&&
.AVIATION...UPPER LEVEL LOW OFFSHORE WILL KEEP MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT OVER WASHINGTON THROUGH TONIGHT. A SURFACE TROUGH WILL
MOVE ASHORE TODAY...THEN SURFACE HIGH PRES WILL BRIEFLY BUILD
SUNDAY. AIR MASS IS WEAKLY UNSTABLE WITH SHOWERS. SLIGHT CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
CEILINGS BASICALLY VFR...DIPPING TO MVFR IN SHOWERS. SOME SHOWERS
HAVE PUNCH...KSEA PICKED UP 0.20 IN A SINGLE HOUR LAST EVENING.
LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...OTHER THAN SHOWER ACTIVITY
INCREASING DURING THE DAY TODAY THEN DIMINISHING TONIGHT.
KSEA...SE WIND 4-8 KT INCREASING TO 15G25KT AFTER 18Z. CEILINGS 4K
FT AND HIGHER BUT MAY LOWER TO 2-3K FT IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. CHB
&&
.MARINE...A SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE TOWARD THE COAST TODAY...THEN
INLAND TONIGHT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY STRENGTH WINDS ARE LIKELY OVER
MOST WATERS. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD BRIEFLY OVER WASHINGTON SUNDAY AS
ANOTHER DEEP LOW FORMS OFFSHORE. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WINDS WILL
PROBABLY CONTINUE ON THE COAST SUNDAY. GALES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE
SOUTHERN OUTER WATERS SUNDAY NIGHT.
THE OFFSHORE LOW WILL MOVE SOUTH MONDAY THEN EAST INTO NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA TUESDAY. MOST AREAS WILL HAVE WINDS LESS THAN 20 KT
DURING THIS PERIOD. CHB
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH NORTH FORK STILLAGUAMISH DOWNSTREAM FROM
THE LANDSLIDE NEAR OSO AND A FLOOD WARNING NORTH FORK
STILLAGUAMISH UPSTREAM FROM THE LANDSLIDE NEAR OSO.
.WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CASCADES THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL WATERS EXCEPT CENTRAL STRAIT.
&&
YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
USFS NWAC station at Mt Baker measured 12 inches snow in 12 hours ending 2 pm Mar 29, and 18 inches in 24 hours ending 7 am Mar 30.
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, March 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: 515578.