Rain amounts above an inch and melting snow caused flooding issues in the Spokane and|Oakesdale areas.
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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.
Rain amounts above an inch and melting snow caused flooding issues in the Spokane and|Oakesdale areas.
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 Dec 26, 9:23 AM PST, 5 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
923 AM PST Mon Dec 26 2022
.SYNOPSIS...
Another round of freezing rain will produce ice accumulations
across northeast and north central Washington this morning. A
strong warm front will arrive tonight into Tuesday bringing heavy
rain, gusty winds, and mild temperatures to the Inland Northwest.
Runoff from rain and melting snow will produce rises on creeks
and stream across southeast Washington and the central and
southern Idaho Panhandle.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today: As of 2 AM, surface temperatures from west of Ritzville to
Moses Lake into Wenatchee and Leavenworth remained in the upper
20s. Similarly cold temperatures were common in our valleys along
the Canadian border including the Methow, Okanogan Valley, and the
valleys of Stevens, Pend Oreille, and Boundary counties. Our next
round of precipitation will spread across these areas prior to
sunrise with the predominant precipitation type freezing rain
across central/north central Washington, northeast Washington, and
far north Idaho. With as much as one to two tenths of freezing
rain expected this morning, Winter Weather Advisories are in
effect through noon. Air temperatures across the metro should
remain at or above freezing this morning. Main roads in and
around the city should experience little impact, but side streets,
parking lots, and sidewalks that are iced over will be
treacherous. Wet ice is like a skating rink, so be very careful
today. By the afternoon, the majority of frontal precipitation
will be over the Idaho Panhandle where snow levels will be above
7000 feet today.
Tonight: We will be keeping a close eye on temperatures in central
Washington this afternoon because another more significant slug
of precipitation will arrive early this evening. A tightly wound,
moisture laden low will bring a half inch or more of liquid
equivalent east of the Cascades overnight. Any pockets that remain
below freezing this evening will have the potential for
significant icing. Areas to keep an eye on are around
Leavenworth, Chelan, Brewster, and Waterville Plateau. Sounding
from the high resolution NAM retain enough deep cold air for 2 to
4 inches of snow for the Methow Valley while the nearby Okanogan
Valley experiences a mix of rain and snow.
Rains tonight combined with melting snow will produce rises on
creeks and streams in southeast Washington and the central and
southern Idaho Panhandle. A Flood Watch is in effect for Paradise
Creek at Moscow, and additional areal Flood Watches may be
necessary for other creeks across Whitman, Asotin, Latah, Benewah,
Lewis, and Nez Perce counties. Field flooding and neighborhood
street flooding is another concern for areas with poor drainage
or clogged sewer drains.
Tuesday: Our region will be breezy and mild on Tuesday as a warm
front surges into southern Canada. The heaviest rains on Tuesday
will be focused over the mountainous terrain of the Cascades,
northeast Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. Temperatures will
surge well into the 40s as south winds blow between 15 and 20 mph
with localized gusts as high as 35 to 40 mph in the afternoon
across the Palouse, West Plains and Ritzville area. Mild winds
will further accelerate snow melt.
Tuesday Night: Our winds will likely peak Tuesday evening/night
as a deep surface low moves inland. Ensemble guidance from the
ECMWF advertises gusts out of the southwest as high as 45 to 50
mph for Ritzville, Pomeroy, Washtucna, Davenport, and wind prone
parts of Spokane county. Winds of this magnitude occur several
times per year and are capable of producing damage to tree
branches and scattered power outages.
Wednesday: Winds will decrease through the day on Wednesday with
gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range in the morning diminishing to 20
to 30 mph by late afternoon. Temperatures will continue to be
mild (low to mid 40s) compared to what we have experienced the
last several weeks, but snow levels will fall through the day
leading to several inches of accumulation along the Cascade Crest
and Idaho Panhandle above 2500-3000 feet. /GKoch
Thursday through Monday:
Winds will gradually weaken through Wednesday and Thursday as the
longwave trough moves eastward. While slight chances of
precipitation will persist on and off through early next week,
Thursday and Friday will be our best bet for a widespread event. A
mix of rain and snow is likely for lowland locations where daytime
temperatures will hover in the mid-to-upper 30s. For mountain
regions, sub- freezing temperatures will result in primarily snow.
The best chance for snow accumulations in the valley and basin
areas will be Thursday night into Friday. Lower elevations can
expect a couple inches of snow at most with higher amounts in the
mountains, potentially impacting pass travel. Northwesterly flow
bringing in cooler air on Sunday will drop temperatures by a few
degrees regionwide, bringing daytime highs for many locations just
below freezing through Monday. /Fewkes
&&
.AVIATION...
18z TAFS: Main aviation concern today is precipitation at the TAF
sites and lowing VIS/cigs. Low clouds and limited visibility will
persist through the day at the GEG, SFF, COE, MWH, and EAT
airports. Additional warm frontal rain spreading east of the
Cascades between 23z-02z will be persistent through the night and
locally heavy. /butler
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Spokane 38 37 46 35 40 28 / 70 100 100 70 30 10
Coeur d'Alene 40 38 46 35 40 30 / 90 100 100 90 60 10
Pullman 39 37 47 35 40 27 / 70 100 90 70 30 10
Lewiston 44 42 52 40 47 33 / 60 100 70 60 30 10
Colville 33 31 45 34 43 24 / 70 100 100 80 30 10
Sandpoint 37 36 44 36 40 31 / 100 100 100 90 80 20
Kellogg 41 39 46 35 38 31 / 90 100 100 90 80 30
Moses Lake 36 32 48 33 45 25 / 60 100 50 30 10 10
Wenatchee 34 32 42 33 42 26 / 80 100 60 50 20 20
Omak 34 32 44 32 43 26 / 80 100 90 50 10 10
&&
.OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...None.
WA...Winter Weather Advisory until noon PST today for Moses Lake Area-
Northeast Mountains-Okanogan Highlands-Upper Columbia Basin.
Winter Weather Advisory until noon PST today for Okanogan Valley-
Waterville Plateau-Wenatchee Area.
Winter Weather Advisory until noon PST today for Central Chelan
County-Western Chelan County-Western Okanogan County.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow melt and heavy rain along with failing rubber seal in the area caused localized flooding under the Interstate 90 overpass near Monroe Street. 1.25 inches of rain fell in the area.
Water was over the roadway on SR 271 between MP 7 and 8.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 2022
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: 1073411, 1073416.