Another round of mountain snow affected the Northern Cascades and the Olympics at the end of January.
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 round of mountain snow affected the Northern Cascades and the Olympics at the end of January.
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 30, 3:24 AM PST, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
324 AM PST Sat Jan 30 2021
.SYNOPSIS...A front will cross the region this morning, bringing
another round of lowland rain, mountain snow, and breezy winds.
Another front arrives late tonight, with the associated disturbance
lingering over the region into early Monday. After a brief break
in moisture towards midweek, another cooler weather system may
move into the region late in the week.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/...An active pattern taking
shape over the northeastern Pacific extending from a deeper low
over the Gulf of Alaska this morning. Latest satellite imagery
and surface observations suggest the cold front remains just
offshore at this hour, with widespread precipitation extending
across the region. Breezy southerly winds continue to develop
along the coast and near the water from around Admiralty Inlet
north through the San Juan Islands. The front has slowed a bit as
it approaches, which is leading to some slightly higher precip
totals along the southern portions of the Olympics. This front
will continue to gradually shift inland this morning, with snow
levels remaining around 2,500 to 3,000 feet much of the day.
Expect that the heaviest snow this morning will be focused on the
Olympics and around Mt. Baker, with only a couple of inches today
at the Cascade passes.
However, the next front will quickly follow tonight into Sunday,
with little break in between rounds of precipitation. This will
lead to another round of breezy winds near the coast and close to
the water from the Admiralty Inlet area north through the San Juan
Islands. Snow levels may begin to rise with the increased southerly
component to the winds this evening and tonight which will lead
to snow levels rising closer to 4,000 ft or higher. However, some
easterly flow near the passes may maintain mostly snow at Stevens
Pass and perhaps a rain/snow mix at Snoqualmie at times. As a
result, have issued winter weather advisories for the Cascades
above 4,000 feet from Saturday night through Sunday. Additional
moisture will rotate through the region into Monday with the upper
trough remaining centered just offshore, but confidence is lower
as to how much warm advection will occur to maintain the higher
snow levels. Regardless, lowering snow levels late Monday night
behind this next front should bring another shot of snow to the
Cascade Passes into Tuesday as snow levels lower again closer to
2,500 feet. Cullen
.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...After a fairly active
first half of the week, perhaps a bit of a break around the
midweek period as guidance suggests stronger ridging will return
to the eastern Pacific. However, ensembles suggest the ridge axis
will remain a good distance offshore, which could leave the door
open for a few disturbances to ride over the top of the ridge and
drop south across the region. There's a decent split in the range
of possibilities later in the week, so confidence remains
somewhat lower than typical. That said, this could signal a shift
to a cooler pattern and perhaps another time of relatively low
snow levels, so the evolution of the pattern bears watching as we
get closer. Cullen
&&
.AVIATION...Southwesterly flow aloft and moist air through the
weekend. One front will break up over Western Washington this
morning, but another will move over the area tonight and Sunday. The
weather will be rainy at times with areas of MVFR cigs, especially
near the mountains which will remain obscured in precip and clouds.
19
KSEA...Rainy this morning, but the precip will turn more showery as
the front breaks up over the area later this morning. Cigs will dip
at times, but will probably average out around 030 through tonight.
&&
.MARINE...One front will move ashore this morning and another system
will arrive tonight and Sunday. These two fronts are not especially
strong but a few areas this morning will be near gale force winds--
the normal windiest spots like Destruction Island and Smith Island.
There will be a lull between systems this afternoon. The area
of low pressure just offshore will persist through Monday and
then the weather pattern will probably change around the
middle of next week with periods of stronger westerly flow
at times. 19
&&
.HYDROLOGY...A series of frontal systems will cross the region
this weekend through the early part of next week. Snow levels are
initially around 2500 ft this morning, and should remain generally
3,000 to 4,000 feet this weekend. Therefore, widespread river
flooding is not expected. However, with snow levels in the Olympics
rising, along with locally higher amounts of precipitation over
the southern portion of the Olympics, there is some potential for
the Skokomish River to approach minor flood stage late in the
weekend. Continue to monitor the forecast this weekend as updates
to precipitation amounts and snow level forecasts could impact the
potential for flooding on the Skokomish. Cullen
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Winter Weather Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 10 PM PST
Sunday for Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties-Cascades
of Snohomish and King Counties-Cascades of Whatcom and
Skagit Counties-Olympics.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 7 AM this morning to 5 PM PST Sunday
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.
Gale Warning until 7 AM PST this morning 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.
Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 5 PM PST Sunday
for East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-
Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands.
Gale Warning until 10 AM PST this morning for East Entrance U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-Northern Inland Waters
Including The San Juan Islands.
Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning for Admiralty
Inlet.
&&
www.weather.gov/seattle1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow began just after midnight on the 30th and continued through the 31st. 24 hour snow amounts beginning around 6AM PST on the 30th through 6AM PST on the 31st around the Mount Baker Ski Resort were around 20 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2021
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: 939689.