An active and progressive weather pattern continued through the first week in November as a strong westerly jet stream persisted over the Cascade Mountains. These stronger winds aloft occasionally surfaced especially in the overnight and morning hours into the downslope lee valleys of the Cascades east slopes.
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 OTX wrote it up.
An active and progressive weather pattern continued through the first week in November as a strong westerly jet stream persisted over the Cascade Mountains. These stronger winds aloft occasionally surfaced especially in the overnight and morning hours into the downslope lee valleys of the Cascades east slopes. Toppled trees lead to scattered power outages in communities in these lower elevation valleys.
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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 4, 3:46 AM PST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 346 AM PST Sun Nov 4 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Wet weather is expected this morning over the Idaho panhandle this morning with drying behind a cold front over eastern washington. Breezy conditions are expected today with showers favored mainly near the Cascades and Idaho Panhandle. Temperatures will be seasonably cool and mountain showers are expected to continue into Monday and Tuesday. There is the potential for drier conditions toward the middle part of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Monday...Satellite this morning shows a cold front pushing into the Cascades early this morning with radar displaying extensive showers ahead of the front...with drying behind the front. This cold front will transit eastern Washington and north Idaho this morning with a few more hours of rain over far eastern Washington and north Idaho...and a rain shadow developing in the lee of the Cascades. By afternoon lingering showers will continue over the Idaho Panhandle and northeast mountains of Washington and along the Cascade crest with snow showers above 5000 feet or so as snow levels drop behind the front. The Columbia Basin will be drying out and some sunbreaks are likely this afternoon in the as the deep feed of Pacific moisture becomes directed mainly into Oregon. The main issue for most of the exposed terrain of the basin this afternoon will be breezy and gusty winds as cold advection in the wake of the cold front spills over the Cascades and invades the eastern Washington. In general winds of 15 to 20 mph look likely with gusts in the 30 mph range...however the higher exposed terrain around the region including the Waterville Plateau...the Pomeroy/Alpowa summit area and the exposed terrain of the Palouse will see slightly stronger winds with gust potential in the 40 mph range. Temperatures today will be mild and above normal with adiabatic compressional warming in the well mixed post frontal breezy air mass. Tonight winds will subside somewhat but remain on the breezy side as swift westerly flow aloft continues over the region. This will keep the fog potential low tonight despite cooler temperatures. A few orographic snow showers will continue driving into the Idaho Panhandle and slopping over the Cascade crest with some minor accumulations on the higher terrain. For most of the forecast area particularly the populated lower elevations it will be a fairly quiet but cool break period. For Monday unsettled conditions will prevail with the forecast area underneath the polar storm track with a weak transient short wave disturbance...currently visible on satellite in the Gulf of Alaska south and east of Kodiak Island...sliding down the storm track from northwest to southeast through eastern Washington and north Idaho. This will bring another chance of hit-and-miss valley rain showers and mountain snow showers east of a line from Omak to Pomeroy with a potential for a few inches of mountain snow above 4000 feet in the Idaho Panhandle which may affect Lookout Pass with some minor slushy accumulations on the road during the morning and early afternoon hours. The deep basin will probably be too far west of this wave to be affected...but the high Cascades may receive some minor snow accumulations. Monday will be cooler than today and close to seasonable normal temperatures. /Fugazzi Tuesday through Sunday... A deep trough will be in place over much of the CONUS Tuesday resulting in below normal temperatures. The exception initially will be over the desert southwest and deep south. The Inland Northwest will not escape the anomalously cool weather with high temperatures expected to reach the 40s beginning Monday and lasting through the workweek. The coolest temperatures will settle in over the region Wednesday through Friday with highs in the low 40s and lows in the 20s. Several weak impulses will slide down the western periphery of the broad trough and bring a chance for showers. The best chance for showers lies in the mountains and with the cool temperatures and low snow levels, it's likely the precip will fall in the form of snow. Tuesday has the best chance of showers, especially over the ID panhandle mountains, before the trough slides to the east and a high amplitude ridge builds off the PacNW coast. At this point it does not look like any high impact events given PW values are very low beyond Monday...so just nuisance showers with minimal overnight accumulations in the mountains. Models are diverging on exactly where this ridge will establish itself along with the constant flow of disturbances around its periphery. This uncertainty is resulting in a gradual warming toward late in the workweek along with reintroducing some slight chances of showers by the weekend. If the ridge ends up establishing itself over the PacNW like the latest GFS is indicating, could see extensive fog develop through the weekend or until the ridge begins to break down. /AB && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: A moist cold front running from KCQV to KHMS at 12Z will move into MT by 18Z. Ahead of and along this front -RA with MVFR ceilings will prevail at the KGEG...KSFF...KCOE and KPUW TAF sites with ceilings lifting to VFR and becoming broken to scattered after FROPA between 15Z and 18Z. Some LLWS is possible just ahead of the FROPA in low elevation sites such as KLWS and KSFF. Orographic upslope showers will continue to obscure the north Idaho mountains through 00Z. The KMWH and KEAT are behind the front at 12Z and benefiting from downslope drying for VFR conditions. Winds will increase to westerly 15 to 30 kts mph with gusts to 35-40 Kts between 18Z and 03Z over the Columbia Basin. Breezy conditions tonight will limit fog potential and VFR conditions are expected at all TAF sites through 12Z Monday. /MJF && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 55 36 48 35 46 32 / 90 0 30 30 20 20 Coeur d'Alene 53 36 46 33 45 31 / 100 20 50 50 30 30 Pullman 54 38 48 36 47 32 / 100 10 50 50 40 40 Lewiston 60 42 54 40 53 36 / 100 10 50 40 30 40 Colville 56 36 49 31 47 27 / 30 0 20 20 20 20 Sandpoint 50 34 45 32 44 30 / 100 20 40 40 40 40 Kellogg 48 35 41 34 42 32 / 100 50 80 90 60 50 Moses Lake 62 36 57 32 55 30 / 10 0 10 10 0 10 Wenatchee 58 40 55 40 53 33 / 10 10 10 10 10 0 Omak 59 36 54 35 50 30 / 10 0 20 10 10 10 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Spokane WA 559 AM PST Sun Nov 4 2018 IDZ001-002-004-026-027-WAZ036>038-042-043-051400- Northern Panhandle-Coeur d'Alene Area-Central Panhandle Mountains- Lewiston Area-Lewis and Southern Nez Perce Counties-Spokane Area- Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands- East Slopes Northern Cascades-Okanogan Valley- 559 AM PST Sun Nov 4 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Idaho... North Central Idaho...North Central Washington and Northeast Washington. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY No hazardous weather is expected at this time. IDZ003-WAZ031>035-041-044-051400- Idaho Palouse-Northeast Blue Mountains- Lower Garfield and Asotin Counties-Washington Palouse- Moses Lake Area-Upper Columbia Basin-Wenatchee Area- Waterville Plateau- 559 AM PST Sun Nov 4 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Idaho... Central Washington...East Central Washington...North Central Washington and Southeast Washington. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT Breezy and gusty winds will prevail today over the Columbia Basin. Wind gusts to 40 mph are possible this afternoon on higher exposed terrain. Patchy blowing dust may reduce visibilities at times in southern Grant County. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Chelan County Public Utility Company reported a power outage on the Entiat River Road near Entiat caused by fallen trees in power lines.
High winds damaged power lines in the Ski Hill area of Leavenworth leaving an estimated 650 customers without power.
The Chelan Public Utility Department reported power outages due to trees fouling power lines in the Brender Canyon area near Dryden.
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, November 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: 785792, 785784, 785786.