A Pacific system brought snow to Kittitas county January 23rd and 24th. Heavy snow accumulated over the western portions of the county.
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 PDT wrote it up.
A Pacific system brought snow to Kittitas county January 23rd and 24th. Heavy snow accumulated over the western portions of the county.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 4:10 AM PST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
410 AM PST Tue Jan 23 2018
Updated AVIATION discussion for 12Z TAFs
.SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday night...A warm front will lift
slowly northward across the area today and tonight bring rain and
snow to the region. Heaviest QPF will be over the Blue Mountains and
the east slopes of the Washington Cascades where winter highlights
are in effect (the Blue Mountains will be under an Advisory with
this forecast package). The Kittitas Valley will also see some snow
due to cold air damming east of the Cascades. Currently a snow
advisory is in effect...but it is possible a low end warning may be
necessary for the area especially for elevations above 2000 feet.
Temperatures there look a little marginal for significant
accumulations but it could end up colder there than the numerical
guidance suggests if precipitation starts early this morning and
continues throughout the day. Another concern for today is the wind
in the Grande Ronde Valley. There will be a short window late this
afternoon/early evening when winds will push advisory levels but the
greater threat for advisory level winds looks to be on Wednesday. A
cold front will slowly work its way across the area on Wednesday and
Wednesday night with associated rain and higher mountain snow. The
Blue Mountains could see another round of accumulating snow
Wednesday evening. On Thursday and Thursday night a pair of
shortwaves in upper level westerly flow will move across the region
with some rain and snow showers especially mountains with snow
levels mostly 1500-2500 feet. 78
.LONG TERM...Friday through Monday...The eastern flank of a weak
warm front begins spreading moisture east of the Cascades on Friday
while snow levels remain at 1500-2000 feet through Friday afternoon.
The main precipitation and dynamic lift associated with the warm
front will be moving across the forecast area during the daytime on
Saturday. As such I increased PoPs for Saturday to the likely
category for the entire forecast area with snow levels through
Saturday afternoon remaining around 1500-2500 feet along the east
slopes of the Washington Cascades and with snow levels rising to
3000-4000 feet Saturday afternoon in central Oregon with snow levels
in the Blue/Wallowa Mountains rising Saturday afternoon to 3000-3500
feet. Sunday and Sunday night the warm front lifts northward causing
decreasing PoPs and mainly dry conditions along the southern tier of
counties in central and east central Oregon. Flow aloft backs to the
SW on Monday resulting in dry conditions in northeast Oregon and in
central Oregon, but will keep a chance of precipitation in central
Washington for Monday. Polan
&&
.AVIATION...12Z TAFs...VFR conditions should prevail over the next
24 hours. However, KDLS will have IFR/MVFR conditions continuing
past 23/12Z due to low stratus clouds. The low ceilings should lift
at KDLS by late this morning. A warm front will begin to spread
precip mainly as -RA across the area after daybreak today, and will
continue through the afternoon. MVFR conditions could occur in
heavier periods of rain. Winds will generally be less than 12 kts.
Polan
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 46 41 52 32 / 70 80 70 80
ALW 47 41 51 34 / 60 90 60 80
PSC 43 39 50 36 / 80 80 60 50
YKM 37 35 46 29 / 90 90 40 20
HRI 44 39 52 34 / 60 70 60 50
ELN 35 32 43 26 / 100 90 50 20
RDM 45 35 44 24 / 30 40 60 30
LGD 39 37 44 27 / 60 80 60 80
GCD 42 36 45 26 / 40 30 70 70
DLS 42 39 48 33 / 90 80 70 30
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 10 AM PST Wednesday
for ORZ502.
WA...Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 10 AM PST Wednesday
for WAZ030.
Winter Weather Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 10 PM PST
Wednesday for WAZ520.
Winter Storm Warning from 7 AM this morning to 10 PM PST
Wednesday for WAZ520.
Winter Weather Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 10 PM PST this
evening for WAZ026.
&&
78/99/991 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Measured snow accumulation of 13 inches, 7 miles NNW of Easton in western Kittitas county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2018
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: 734149.