A moist warm front overran cold air trapped against the Cascades during the early morning hours of January 27th. Heavy snow accumulations in the Wenatchee area and on the Waterville Plateau resulted.
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The episode as NWS OTX wrote it up.
A moist warm front overran cold air trapped against the Cascades during the early morning hours of January 27th. Heavy snow accumulations in the Wenatchee area and on the Waterville Plateau resulted. Moderate accumulations of 2 to 4 inches of snow were noted in the Okanogan Valley as well as the mountains and valleys of northeast Washington.
In the Cascades, the southern valleys south of Lake Chelan received heavy snow accumulations with 8 to 10 inches in the Wenatchee River and Entiat River Valleys. This heavy wet snow toppled trees and produced scattered power outages in the upper Wenatchee Valley. Areas north of Lake Chelan received moderate amounts of snow in the 4 to 6 inch range, which is below heavy snow criteria and not unusual for winter in these valleys.
A following cold front ended the precipitation by dawn in the Cascades, but then strong post frontal winds developed over the area. A wind sensor on Mission Peak at 6730 feet elevation recorded a westerly gust of 110 mph. Some of these high winds aloft descended down the east slopes of the Cascades and channeled through the Wenatchee Valley and produced damage in the Wenatchee area during the afternoon hours.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter near Manson reported 6.0 inches of new snow accumulation.
Multiple reports on social media indicated accumulations of 4 to 5 inches of snow in the East Wenatchee area.
An observer 5 miles south of Wenatchee reported 4.2 inches of new snow accumulation.
The COOP observer at the Entiat Fish Hatchery recorded 6.6 inches of new snow accumulation.
The COOP observer at Chelan reported 5.0 inches of new snow accumulation.
A member of the public near Waterville reported 4.0 inches of new snow accumulation. The COOP observer at Chief Joseph Dam just north of the sparsely populated Waterville Plateau recorded 4.7 inches of new snow accumulation.
The Wenatchee World Newspaper reported numerous trees downed by strong wind gusts in and around Wenatchee between 3 pm and 5 pm. At least two large trees fell on houses in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee and numerous power lines were taken out by falling trees.
The Wenatchee World Newspaper reported numerous trees downed by strong wind gusts in and around Wenatchee between 3 pm and 5 pm. At least two large trees fell on houses in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee and numerous power lines were taken out by falling trees.
Chelan County Public Utilities reported wind related power outages affecting up to 2000 residents in the Wenatchee area.
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: 730087, 730088, 730089, 730090, 730091, 730086, 730100, 730101, 730102.