A favorable winter weather pattern set up across Western Washington towards the middle portion of December for heavy mountain snow.
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.
A favorable winter weather pattern set up across Western Washington towards the middle portion of December for heavy mountain snow.
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 Dec 7, 9:25 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
925 PM PST Wed Dec 7 2022
.SYNOPSIS...A frontal system will bring rain, mountain snow and
locally windy conditions tonight and Thursday. Another weather
system will move through the area Friday night and Saturday with
low snow levels and possible lowland snow. The best chances for
snow will be in the Hood Canal area. Cool and drier weather is
expected the first half of next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/...Doppler radar shows
leading edge of the rain out ahead of the approaching front just
off the coast at 9 pm/05z. Under cloudy skies little spread in the
temperatures, upper 30s to mid 40s.
Front offshore reaching the coast around 12z...interior
15z...Cascades 18z Thursday. Winds are starting to pick up along
the north coast and Northwest Interior with gusts to 24 mph at
Quillayute and 31 mph at Friday Harbor. Rain along the coast
starting up in the next hour with the rain reaching the interior
around midnight. Not a lot of cold air behind the front so there
could be a little break between the steady rain ending Thursday
morning and the post frontal shower activity picking up Thursday
afternoon. An isolated thunderstorm is possible along the coast
Thursday afternoon. An upper trough will move over the area Thursday night
then inland on Friday. Scattered showers will continue Thursday
night and then gradually decrease on Friday, eventually becoming
mainly confined to the mountains. Some of the higher hills and
areas away from the water, especially in the north interior, might
see a wintery mix Friday morning but significant snow
accumulations are not expected at this time.
A second cold upper trough and an associated frontal wave will
bring another round of more widespread precipitation Friday night
and Saturday. Snow levels will be low for a threat of lowland
snow. However, it will be a tricky forecast with the air mass
maybe just marginally cold enough for snow. It might come down to
precipitation rates or proximity to the water. It's too far out to
have much confidence in the details for now. The surface low that
was forecast to move inland just to the south is no longer in the
models. Instead there is mainly easterly gradients which is
favorable for area on the west side of Puget Sound but no so much
elsewhere. Ensembles reflect this and have backed off on lowland
snowfall amounts overall. The most likely scenario for much of the
area is an inch or less of slushy snow from late Friday evening
through mid Saturday morning. The best chance for more significant
accumulations looks to be over the Kitsap Peninsula and Hood
Canal area. The lowland snow threat should mostly end by Saturday
afternoon as temperatures warm into the lower 40s.
No forecast update this evening. Felton/16
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...Previous discussion
follows. An upper trough just off the coast will turn into a
cutoff upper low and shift south on Sunday for a decreasing shower
threat over Western Washington. Monday through Wednesday look
largely dry with an upper ridge off the coast. Temperatures will
remain below normal (what else is new?) with highs mostly in the
lower to mid 40s and lows mostly in the mid 20s to lower 30s. 16
&&
.AVIATION...Southwesterly flow aloft through Thursday. Cold front
reaching the coast around 12z...KSEA 15-16z...Cascades 18-19z.
Ceilings near 5000 feet over the interior lowering to near 2000
feet with the onset of rain around 09z. Slight improvement in the
ceilings Thursday afternoon with steady rain changing to showers
Thursday morning. For the coast ceilings 1000-2000 feet with local
visibility 3-5sm in rain. Rain turning to showers Thursday morning
with ceilings improving late Thursday morning.
KSEA...Ceilings near 5000 feet lowering to near 2000 feet around
09z. Ceilings improving slightly Thursday afternoon. South winds 8
to 12 knots. Felton
&&
.MARINE...A vigorous frontal system will bring gales to the coastal
waters, northern inland waters, and east entrance to the strait
later tonight into Thursday morning while the remaining waters will
see SCA level winds. As such, inherited headlines look good an will
remain in place for the evening forecast update. Weak high pressure
will build across the waters Thursday afternoon and night for easing
winds. A second front will produce another round of gales for the
coastal waters Friday afternoon into Friday night with at least
small craft advisory level winds for the rest of the area waters. A
surface low will gradually weaken over the coastal waters and shift
southward over the weekend. Weak surface high pressure will produce
quieter conditions early next week.
Seas generally 6 to 8 feet into late Thursday morning before
increasing behind the front Thursday afternoon and ahead of the next
system for Friday/Saturday to 12 to 15 feet. A Small Craft Advisory
for rough bar is in place for Grays Harbor bar starting Thursday and
into the weekend. 27/18
&&
.HYDROLOGY...River flooding is not expected for the next 7 days.
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Wind Advisory until 10 AM PST Thursday for Admiralty Inlet Area-
San Juan County-Western Skagit County-Western Whatcom
County.
Wind Advisory until 10 AM PST Thursday for North Coast.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Thursday for West Slopes
North Cascades and Passes-West Slopes North Central
Cascades and Passes-West Slopes South Central Cascades and
Passes.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM Thursday to 4 PM PST Friday for
Grays Harbor Bar.
Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM PST Thursday for Central U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-West Entrance U.S. Waters
Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until 10 AM PST Thursday 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-East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of
Juan De Fuca-Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan
Islands.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM PST Thursday for Admiralty Inlet.
Small Craft Advisory until noon PST Thursday for Puget Sound and
Hood Canal.
&&3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow began in the southern Cascades during the early morning hours of the 8th and continued through the 9th. Then later in the afternoon on the 9th snow increased in intensity, resulting in over 18 inches of new snow accumulation at Crystal Mountain before tapering into the afternoon on the 10th.
A period of heavy snow affected the North Cascades. Snow began shortly after midnight on December 8th and quickly accumulated to over 12 inches in 12 hours around the Mt Baker Ski area. Heavy snow continued through the rest of the day. Snow increased in intensity on Dec 9th and continued through the 11th before tapering during the late morning hours.
Snow began during the early to mid morning hours on Dec 8th. Snow then tapered during the early morning hours on the 9th before becoming heavy during the evening hours. Over 12 inches of new snow fell within a 12 hour window into the morning hours on the 10th.
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: 1073360, 1073362, 1073364.