Heavy snow impacted the Central Cascades in early February, resulting in travel impacts across the Cascade Passes.
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.
Heavy snow impacted the Central Cascades in early February, resulting in travel impacts across the Cascade Passes.
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 6, 7:51 PM PST, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Seattle WA
751 PM PST Mon Feb 6 2023
.SYNOPSIS...A vigorous frontal system will bring lowland rain,
mountain snow, and windy conditions to Western Washington tonight
through Tuesday. Showers linger Wednesday as a trough moves through
the region. High pressure will provide drier conditions much of
Thursday before a weak front arrives on Friday. Unsettled conditions
will then persist into the weekend.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...South winds will increase
tonight and into Tuesday morning with a warm front. Highest winds
will be in the North Interior where gusts to 40-50 MPH are
possible - a Wind Advisory is in effect. Elsewhere, expect gusts
in the 30-40 MPH range with winds peaking mid-morning. Otherwise,
precipitation will be filling in tonight and winter weather
headlines remain in place for the Cascades. In addition, heavy
rain in the Olympics will force sharp rises on the Skokomish River
in Mason county and a Flood Watch remains in effect. 33
Previous discussion...Snow levels will initially make a jump with
the arrival of the warm front early Tuesday, but will tumble
behind a trailing cold front as it pushes through Puget Sound
around midday Tuesday. Modest instability will follow the front
for a slight chance of thunderstorms coastal areas.
Strong post-frontal onshore flow should get a convergence zone going
late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night before it eventually
dissipates in the Cascades Wednesday morning as onshore gradients
gradually relax. Winter storm criteria snowfall looks likely for the
North Cascades with 1 to 2 feet expected in the Mount Baker area.
Further south, amounts look a little lighter, but the post-frontal
environment will be favorable for 8-12 inches at Snoqualmie Pass
by early Wednesday and 14-18 inches at Stevens. There is one
caveat to be aware of though. If the convergence sets up for an
extended period over the passes Tuesday night, these totals could
easily be adjusted upward.
Weak ridging aloft will build into the area Wednesday afternoon into
early Thursday for a drying trend across the area. Thursday looks
dry for most of Western Washington with the exception of the Olympic
Peninsula where some light precip could arrive by evening ahead of a
weak front. Temperatures through the short term forecast period will
be a couple degrees either side of seasonal averages for early
February.
.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...Models remain fairly
consistent with the arrival of another frontal system on Friday.
However, deterministic solutions as well as a number of ensembles
show the front rapidly splitting upon arrival. Upper ridging
attempts to establish itself just offshore over the weekend, but
Western Washington remains on the northern periphery of the ridge
with at least chance PoPs as weak systems brush the area. More
uncertainty begins to emerge in the forecast early next week with a
considerable spread in the 500mb cluster plots. This isn't terribly
surprising with a cut-off upper low over the Desert Southwest
greatly affecting what may...or may not...happen upstream over the
Pacific Northwest. 27
&&
.AVIATION...An upper trough will move towards the area tonight into
Tuesday for increasing southwesterly flow aloft. Mainly VFR this
evening with MVFR in areas, especially along the coast. Ceilings
will lower tonight through Tuesday morning as a cold front moves
towards the area. Generally MVFR cigs are expected, but IFR is
possible. Rain will increase as well tonight with the front. Onshore
flow will increase later Tuesday with a convergence zone likely
Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night, mainly around Snohomish
County. Breezy southerly winds through Tuesday.
KSEA...VFR cigs will transition to MVFR tonight through early
Tuesday afternoon before some improvement to VFR late Tuesday.
Increasing southerly winds during this period, with south winds
strongest generally between 15 to 20z, gusts of 30 kts possible.
JD
&&
.MARINE...A front will move across the area through early Tuesday
afternoon. Increasing southerly winds through Tuesday morning with
the front. Gale force winds are likely for the northern interior
waters, as well as eastern entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
and Admiralty Inlet. The Coastal Waters may also see some marginal
gale force winds into Tuesday morning. SCA winds for most other area
waters.
Onshore flow will increase following the cold front on Tuesday
afternoon and ease Wednesday. Gale force winds are likely for the
central and eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca, as well as Admiralty
Inlet during this period. Winds taper off a bit on Wednesday.
Another weakening front will move through Thursday and Friday.
Seas will build over the Coastal Waters to 12 to 16 feet tonight and
remain generally in that range through Wednesday before subsiding to
below 10 feet Wednesday night and Thursday. Seas will build to 12 to
16 feet again for the coast on Friday. JD
&&
.HYDROLOGY...A flood watch remains in effect for Mason County from
Tuesday morning through Wednesday as heavy rain centered over the
region may lead to flooding on the Skokomish River. The river is
currently forecast to rise above flood stage toward midday
Tuesday and briefly reach moderate flood stage by Tuesday
evening. Elsewhere, river flooding is not expected through the
week ahead.
&&
.SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WA...Wind Advisory until 10 AM PST Tuesday for Admiralty Inlet Area-
San Juan County-Western Skagit County-Western Whatcom
County.
Flood Watch from 7 AM PST Tuesday through Wednesday morning for
Hood Canal Area-Lower Chehalis Valley Area-Olympics.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 AM Tuesday to 10 AM PST Wednesday
for West Slopes North Cascades and Passes.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM Tuesday to 10 AM PST Wednesday
for West Slopes North Central Cascades and Passes-West
Slopes South Central Cascades and Passes.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 3 PM PST Tuesday for Grays Harbor Bar.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM PST Wednesday 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-Puget Sound and Hood Canal-West
Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM PST Tuesday for Central U.S.
Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning from noon Tuesday to 4 AM PST Wednesday for Central
U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until 4 AM PST Tuesday for Admiralty Inlet-East
Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Watch from Tuesday afternoon through late Tuesday night for
East Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
Gale Warning until 8 AM PST Tuesday for Northern Inland Waters
Including The San Juan Islands.
Gale Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening for
Admiralty Inlet.
&&1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Over 18 inches of snow fell from 6am on the 7th through 6am on the 8th. Snow really picked up in intensity after midnight on the 7th and remained moderate to heavy through the early morning hours on the 8th. Snow then tapered later in the morning.
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: 1087459.