A strong cold front passed through eastern Washington from the northwest during the afternoon and evening of October 2nd. Winds behind this front channeled down the Okanogan Valley producing local gusts of up to 70 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
A strong cold front passed through eastern Washington from the northwest during the afternoon and evening of October 2nd. Winds behind this front channeled down the Okanogan Valley producing local gusts of up to 70 mph. In the Northeast Mountains the Colville River Valley which also runs north to south apparently promoted channeling of these post frontal winds, and resulted in toppled trees and power lines and some roof damage in and near Colville. In the Columbia Basin wind gusts were generally in the 40 to 50 mph range and while no damage was reported, areas of blowing dust reduced visibility to 3 to 5 miles in many locations with isolated pockets of visibility less than 1 mile in blowing dust during the afternoon and evening hours.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Periodic wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph blowing across freshly worked wheat fields decreased visibility to less than 1/16 of a mile near Lind and Othello during the afternoon of October 2nd.
The Chelan Airport AWOS station reported a wind gust of 64 mph.
The Oroville RAWS remote weather station near Oroville recorded a wind gust of 70 mph.
The Stevens County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees toppled and at least 40 power lines damaged in and north of the town of Colville. A roof was blown off of a shop in Colville.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 785776, 785773, 785769, 785775.