Another weather system brought another round of heavy mountain snow to Washington at the end of the month.
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.
Another weather system brought another round of heavy mountain snow to Washington at the end of the month.
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 Jan 26, 3:35 AM PST, 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
335 AM PST Sun Jan 26 2020
.SYNOPSIS...A passing front will exit Western Washington this
morning. The associated low pressure center will bring breezy to
windy conditions to the area this morning and into the afternoon,
especially along the coast and northern interior portions of the
area. A trough will move through the area Sunday evening. A parade
of additional weather systems will affect the region through next
week.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...Seeing the back edge of the
front about two-thirds of the way through the Olympic Peninsula with
expected showers popping up behind it. for the eastern portion of
the CWA...still look to have a few more hours of frontal rains this
morning before transitioning over to showers. Current obs showing
some gusts along the coast...although falling short of the criteria
of the advisory that just went into effect. Still...plenty of time
for winds to pick up and current forecast remains consistent with
those winds developing this morning. As such...wind advisory looks
good to remain in place for the coast and the North Interior
/Western Whatcom, Western Skagit, the San Juans and the Admiralty
Inlet area/ through 11 AM PST this morning. Remaining locations will
still see breezy to locally windy conditions today...but falling
below any headline criteria.
This surface low does not particularly linger over the area with
precip becoming more showery area-wide by mid to late morning and
said showers persisting into the afternoon. The next frontal system
pushes onto the coast by this evening bringing more rain during the
overnight hours tonight and into early Monday morning. Models in
agreement that a small break in precip looks to arise by mid Monday
morning and maybe sneaking into the early afternoon before the harsh
mistress that is Mother Nature decides that is enough of that and
turns on the faucet again with a surface low that looks fairly
similar to the one currently passing through W WA now...sans the
winds as this Monday afternoon/evening system looks a little weaker
in the gradient department under the current progs. This system also
looks to hang around a little bit longer than the current
one...which brings up a slight forecast dilemma. Even though precip
lingers a bit longer...snow levels will rise in front of this
system. Add to that the complicating factor that models do not
really have a good handle on the precip amounts with this surface
low. As such...while the mountains may see a rain transitioning to
snow scenario...given the big question marks in place regarding
amounts...do not see the need for any winter weather headlines for
the Cascades at this time. The low begins to eject late Monday night
as precip transitions to showers...but a follow-up upper level low
will keep conditions wet into Tuesday morning.
The next bit must only be spoken of in hushed tones...as model progs
are in agreement that an upper level ridge looks to be on tap for
Tuesday afternoon and even extending throughout Tuesday night making
for what feels like the longest period without rain that has been in
the forecast for some time now. 18
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...All good things must come
to an end and...sure enough...another frontal system hits the coast
Wednesday morning and spreads rain inland throughout the day and
into the evening before transitioning to showers. There is another
potential break in precip during the overnight hours and into
Thursday morning before the next frontal system moves in during the
day Thursday. Models are not exactly in sync with the timing of this
next system...but ultimately the pattern of weather system...then
brief break...then weather system has become etched into memory and
as such to see it continue offers no surprise at all. It is worth
pointing out that at this point...models do diverge in their
solutions as the GFS has the next system crumble apart as it moves
over the area while the ECMWF has it producing precip into Saturday.
Another thing to keep an eye on in this portion of the extended is
that the ECMWF is offering hints at the potential set up of what
looks to be something very atmospheric river-like toward the end of
the forecast period. The GFS is trying to pick up on this as
well...but it does not look as confident as the ECMWF positioning.
Still...that is out in the day 7 to 8 time frame...plenty can change
from run to run that far out. 18
&&
.AVIATION...Strong southwesterly flow aloft easing this afternoon
and becoming west overnight into Monday morning. Low level
wind shear until around 15z with winds near 2000 feet southerly
40-45 knots. Front moving through the area early this morning with
another system arriving late tonight. Ceilings ahead and with the
front early this morning in the 3500-5000 foot range lowering
down to around 2000 feet later this morning behind the front.
Ceilings lifting again this afternoon into the evening hours into
VFR before the onset of rain with the next system tonight lowers
ceilings back down to near 3000 feet.
KSEA...Ceilings near 4000 feet with low level wind shear due to
strong southerly winds, 40 knots around 2000 feet until 15z.
Ceilings lowering down to near 2000 feet by late morning. Ceilings
improving later in the afternoon back up to 3500-5000 feet. Rain
ahead of next system beginning around 04z tonight. Southerly winds
5 to 10 knots increasing to 10-15 knots with gusts to 25 knots
around 15z. Winds easing to 8 to 12 knots in the afternoon and
evening hours. Felton
&&
.MARINE...A strong front associated with a 995 mb low moving into
Vancouver Island moving through the waters early this morning.
Gale force winds are likely for all the waters except the central
Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Winds
easing to small craft over all the waters this afternoon.
Another strong system will move through the area tonight keeping
small craft advisory winds in the forecast for all the waters. For
most of the waters the small craft advisory winds will linger into
Monday. Active weather pattern continuing this week with a
significant system possible Monday night or Tuesday. Felton
&&
.HYDROLOGY...Although there are several weather systems that will
move through Western Washington through midweek the pattern is
fairly progressive with period of rain turning to scattered showers
periodically. The Skokomish river will remain high, probably
remaining above flood stage most of the time. Other rivers will be
running high but it looks like it will not be until late in the
week when more widespread flooding becomes a possibility.
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Wind Advisory until 11 AM PST this morning for Admiralty Inlet
Area-Central Coast-North Coast-San Juan County-Western
Skagit County-Western Whatcom County.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM PST Monday for Central U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-Grays Harbor Bar.
Small Craft Advisory from noon today to 6 PM PST Monday for
Admiralty Inlet-Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James
Island 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To
James Island Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From James Island To
Point Grenville 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From James
Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From
Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal
Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater Out 10 Nm-
East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-Northern
Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands-West Entrance
U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until noon PST today for Coastal Waters From Cape
Flattery To James Island 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters From
Cape Flattery To James Island Out 10 Nm-Coastal Waters From
James Island To Point Grenville 10 To 60 Nm-Coastal Waters
From James Island To Point Grenville Out 10 Nm-Coastal
Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater 10 To 60 Nm-
Coastal Waters From Point Grenville To Cape Shoalwater Out
10 Nm-West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until noon PST today for Admiralty Inlet-East
Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-Northern Inland
Waters Including The San Juan Islands.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM PST Monday for Puget Sound and
Hood Canal.
&&
www.weather.gov/seattle2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow began to fall during the early morning hours of the 27th and continued fairly consistently through the close of the month, with new snow accumulation of near 50 inches around Mount Baker.
Snow began during the very late evening hours on the 27th, with snow continuing through the 30th. New snow accumulation of around 30 inches near Paradise.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2020
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: 873726, 873727.