Mild temperatures and rain of three quarter an inch to one inch created some localized flooding and rock slides in the Cascades.
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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.
Mild temperatures and rain of three quarter an inch to one inch created some localized flooding and rock slides in 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 Spokane, WA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 9, 9:23 PM PST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 923 PM PST Mon Jan 9 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Rain and wet snow will exit eastern Washington and north Idaho this evening. Slick conditions will be common this evening and overnight as temperatures fall below freezing and fog develops over much of central and eastern Washington. Tuesday and Wednesday will be mainly dry with mild temperatures. Rain and mountain snow will return Wednesday evening and persist into Thursday. The weather Friday into next weekend will feature temperatures nearly 10 degrees above average, with chances for light rain. && .DISCUSSION... Evening update: The band of rain and snow is an hour or two slower to clear out than expected. Forecast has been updated to show this slower progression. We are also getting moderate precipitation intensities within a few clusters and slushy snow accumulations at locations like Spirit Lake, Coeur D, Alene, and along the I-90 corridor leading up to Lookout Pass. Areas of fog and low clouds will become the issue as the precipitaiton clears out. /sb Tonight: Our band of rain and snow will exit eastern Washington by about 6 PM and clear the majority of the Idaho Panhandle by 9 PM. Many communities in northeast Washington and north Idaho above 2000 feet will experience snow or a rain/snow mix, but the snow will struggle to accumulate effectively with temperatures in the low to mid 30s. As the frontal system responsible for this precipitation exits, an upper level shortwave ridge will build over the Pacific Northwest. An abundance of low level moisture combined with subsidence aloft will lead to widespread post- frontal low stratus. This type of set up often leads to the cloud deck lowering through the night. And visibility guidance from the High Resolution Ensemble Forecast (HREF) is predicting a 70 to 90 percent chance of visibility reductions to a half mile or less over the West Plains, Upper Columbia Basin, and Waterville Plateau overnight into Tuesday morning. With overnight temperatures dropping to around 30 and fog, this looks like a typical rime ice episode that causes white ice crystals to collect on trees and powerlines. Wet roads and sidewalks will also become slick overnight as air and pavement temperatures fall below freezing. Tuesday: Easterly surface winds will erode fog and low clouds over the Palouse and the southern Idaho Panhandle in the morning, but fog is usually slow to disperse in central Washington, the Spokane area, and the sheltered valleys of northeast Washington. Through the afternoon, the HREF and National Blend disperse most of the low clouds from our region. MOS guidance from the NAM and GFS which are tuned more toward climatology are slower to clear our skies and keep places like Wenatchee and the Waterville Plateau in low overcast into Tuesday evening which seems more reasonable. Lowlands that experience several hours of sunshine will climb well into the 40s like Lewiston, Pullman, and Washtucna. Communities that remain in the fog until late day won't get out of the mid 30s. Wednesday: The majority of the day Wednesday looks dry before our next moist frontal system moves inland. Fog and low clouds won't be as widespread on Wednesday morning, but spots like the West Plains and Waterville Plateau that are frequently susceptable to fog will have another good shot of it. /GKoch Wednesday night and Thursday: Another incoming Low will bring a round of precip to the region. While it is expected to bring mountain snow, the lower elevations can expect to start as snow then change to rain for the event. This is because warmer air is being brought in with the moisture. Snow amounts for the system will highest in the Cascades with around one foot expected for Stevens Pass. The eastern slopes of the Cascades and northern mountains will also get around three to six inches with valleys around one to three. These areas have lower confidence as it is dependent on timing and efficiency of the warmer air as it encroaches into the the area. Lows will be in the mid 20s to low 30s. Highs will be in the 30s and low 40s. Friday and Weekend: Behind the wave, the region will be under a split flow pattern. It will continue to press moisture into the western slopes of the Cascades with spill over affecting the upper portions of the eastern slopes. It will be a generally dry period for the most of the region. Any shower activity will be in the mountains and higher terrains across Northeast WA and the ID Panhandle. Highs will be in the upper 30s to 40s. Lows will be in the upper 20s to 30s. /JDC && .AVIATION... 06Z TAFS: The last band of precipitation will exit North Idaho and far NE WA 06-08Z. Low clouds and fog will expand and lower over much of the Inland Northwest overnight. Ample boundary layer moisture from today's precipitation will increase the potential for fog development in an environment of weak boundary layer winds. HREF probabilities of visibility less than 1/2 mile are between 70 and 90 percent late tonight for KGEG, KMWH, and KEAT. Downslope easterly surface winds will erode fog and low clouds in the morning across southeast Washington first with clouds dissipating across the rest of eastern and central Washington during the afternoon. Easterly winds persisting at Pullman and around Lewiston suggest these areas have the lowest probabilities for restrictions but if winds calm enough around Lewiston, patchy morning fog will be a concern. /sb && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 30 38 24 37 30 41 / 70 0 0 0 20 80 Coeur d'Alene 30 40 23 37 29 41 / 80 0 0 0 20 60 Pullman 30 42 26 41 33 43 / 60 0 0 0 20 70 Lewiston 33 45 31 46 37 49 / 40 0 10 10 20 60 Colville 30 38 18 35 26 38 / 70 0 0 0 20 80 Sandpoint 32 37 23 34 28 37 / 80 0 0 0 20 80 Kellogg 30 40 25 38 31 41 / 90 0 0 0 10 70 Moses Lake 30 39 26 39 32 42 / 10 0 0 0 60 90 Wenatchee 28 35 26 33 31 36 / 10 0 0 10 80 90 Omak 30 36 24 33 30 37 / 50 0 0 0 50 90 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 debris flow, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Rockslide closed US 97A at milepost 214.
Water was over roadway along the Riverside Eastriverside Road.
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, January 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: 1078356, 1078355.