A vigorous weather system brings heavy mountain snow to the Cascades.
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 vigorous weather system brings heavy mountain snow to the Cascades.
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 Feb 7, 2:15 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
215 PM PST Tue Feb 7 2023
.SYNOPSIS...An upper level trough moving across the region will
produce scattered showers overnight. Drier conditions are expected
much of Wednesday as weak upper level ridging builds into Western
Washington. A warm front will brush the Olympic Peninsula with
some light rain on Thursday, but dry and warmer conditions are
expected across the interior. Another cold front will produce more
widespread rain Thursday night into Friday. Weak high pressure
aloft will keep much of the area dry over the weekend.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...Today's cold front pushed
through Puget Sound around midday and is now crossing the
Cascades. Increasing onshore flow behind it will fuel a
convergence zone over mainly Snohomish County into this evening
before it dissipates over the Cascades Wednesday morning. Will
keep current winter headlines going over the Cascades and keep an
eye on where the convergence zone sets up this evening...as it
could enhance snowfall at Snoqualmie and/or Stevens Pass.
Upper level ridging will build into Western Washington for dry
conditions for most of the area by Wednesday afternoon along with
some filtered sunshine. The upper ridge axis will shift over
Western Washington by early Thursday. A warm front will likely
clip the Olympic Peninsula with some light rain on Thursday, but
interior areas can expect a mostly dry day along with warmer
temperatures...a few spots might even reach the upper 50s.
The ridge will gave way to another front Thursday night into
Friday for more widespread precipitation. High temperatures will
cool accordingly...back to the upper 40s to lower 50s across the
lowlands.
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...Models remain consistent
with the idea of weak upper ridging centered well offshore over
the weekend. This won't be enough to deflect a couple of weak
systems from reaching the area. Chance PoPs remain in the
forecast.
Model ensembles are coming around to the idea of the ridge
flattening and retrograding further offshore early next week which
allows an anomalously cold upper trough to settle over the region.
Much uncertainty remains with the details, but the overall trend
points toward a colder pattern and lower snow levels. 27
&&
.AVIATION...An upper trough over the area will push east tonight.
An upper ridge an an associated warm from will build in from the
west on Wednesday. The flow aloft will be westerly. At the
surface, moderate onshore flow tonight will ease on Wednesday.
Unstable air this evening will become stable later tonight. A
Puget Sound Convergence Zone will is expected this evening over
Snohomish County. The convergence zone should shift into the
Cascades and fall apart after midnight tonight.
Low level moisture will break up behind the cold front this
afternoon and evening. Pockets of low clouds will probably linger
tonight or perhaps reform for a few hours Wednesday morning as
winds ease. Otherwise, mid level clouds tonight and Wednesday.
KSEA...Expecting mostly mid clouds tonight. There could be a few
hours of low clouds Wednesday morning. Gusty southerly winds will
ease later tonight. A Puget Sound Convergence Zone is expected to
remain to the north of the terminal this evening. 16
&&
.MARINE...Onshore flow behind a cold front should bring gale
force west winds to the Strait tonight with small craft advisory
strength westerly winds most other waters. Onshore flow will ease
on Wednesday.
A warm front will move through the area Wednesday night and
Thursday morning for a round of small craft advisory strength
southerly winds most waters. This will be followed by a cold front
Thursday afternoon and night. Onshore flow Friday will ease on
Saturday. Another frontal system will reach the area on Sunday.
Combined seas 10 to 13 feet over the Coastal Waters will briefly
subside below 10 feet later Wednesday and Wednesday night but then
rebuild to 11 to 14 feet on Thursday and remain in that general
range Friday and Saturday. 16
&&
.HYDROLOGY...Expect rises on area rivers today into Wednesday as a
round of heavy precipitation moves through the region. Snow levels
at 4000 to 5000 ft will be lowering to 2,500 ft behind the front
tonight. The Skokomish River is under a flood warning for flooding
today through sometime Thursday morning, with the Skokomish River
expected to crest above moderate flood stage overnight. Elsewhere,
river flooding is not expected through the next week.
The heaviest precipitation has already pushed through the Bolt Creek
Burn Scar area, but with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s, most
of it fell as snow or a rain/snow mix down at highway elevations.
The area received just over 2 inches for the storm with rainfall
rates less than a quarter inch per hour. Monitoring will need to
continue for heavy rain from any convergence zone development later
this evening and tonight.
JBB
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Flood Watch through Wednesday morning for Hood Canal Area-Lower
Chehalis Valley Area-Olympics.
Winter Storm Warning until 10 AM PST Wednesday for West Slopes
North Cascades and Passes.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Wednesday for West
Slopes North Central Cascades and Passes-West Slopes South
Central Cascades and Passes.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM PST Wednesday for Grays Harbor
Bar-West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until 1 AM PST Wednesday for Central U.S. Waters
Strait Of Juan De Fuca-East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of
Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM to 8 AM PST Wednesday for Central
U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-East Entrance U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM PST Wednesday for Northern
Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands.
Small Craft Advisory until midnight PST tonight for Admiralty
Inlet.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM PST Wednesday for Puget Sound
and Hood Canal.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 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.
&&1 winter weather, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Observations show that now started late on February 7th into the late afternoon hours on February 8th, with around 9 to 11 inches falling within a 12 hour period, reaching Winter Weather Advisory criteria.
Observations at Mount Baker show more than 15 to 18 inches of snow within 12 hours for around the late afternoon hours of February 8th where a Winter Storm Warning was in place.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, February 2023
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: 1084577, 1084363.