A strong upper level jet was positioned over the Pacific Northwest from March 8 through 13. As it mixed down to the lower levels, it brought periods of high winds sustained in the 30 to 40 mph range and gusts up to 70 mph for portions of the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A strong upper level jet was positioned over the Pacific Northwest from March 8 through 13. As it mixed down to the lower levels, it brought periods of high winds sustained in the 30 to 40 mph range and gusts up to 70 mph for portions of the region. It was followed by a cold front that brought snow amounts ranging from 2 to 8 inches for the lowlands and 8 to 14 inches for the higher terrain.
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 Mar 7, 3:58 AM PST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 358 AM PST Sat Mar 7 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Windy on Sunday with widespread gusts 35-50 mph. - Colder with moderate to heavy mountain snow next week over the Cascade and North Idaho mountain passes. - Elevated winds through next week. Periods of strong winds. && .SYNOPSIS... A strong cold front will bring gusty westerly winds on Sunday. Persistent snow showers will bring several days of winter travel conditions over the mountains next week. We are monitoring Wednesday into Thursday for lowland snow across northern Washington and North Idaho. Elevated winds expected through the week. && .DISCUSSION... ...WINDY CONDITIONS SUNDAY... ...WINTER TRAVEL OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES NEXT WEEK... Saturday: The Inland Northwest remains on the northeast periphery of a broad offshore upper-level ridge. Embedded moisture will continue to bring an influx of clouds, while weak warm air advection brings light precipitation to far eastern Washington and north Idaho Saturday morning. The ridge will begin to flatten today as a strong upper-level trough and associated cold front approach northwestern British Columbia. This will bring increasing winds aloft as a strong 140-150 knot westerly jet streak shifts southward across British Columbia through the day. Meanwhile, the surface pressure gradient will tighten in response to a surface low progressing across central Canada. As a result, sustained west to southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph are expected. Afternoon momentum mixing will transport stronger gusts to the surface, ranging from 25 to 40 mph from the lee of the Cascades through the Columbia Basin, Palouse, and the Spokane/CdA areas. The strongest gusts 50-55 mph are expected across the mountains and the Waterville Plateau. Saturday night through Sunday: The upper-level ridge will continue to flatten Saturday night ahead of a stronger frontal boundary approaching from the north. This directs a 130 knot westerly jet over the Washington-British Columbia border by early Sunday morning. With the region still under the subtle influence of the offshore ridge, pattern recognition suggests the potential for mountain waves in the lee of the Cascades. Model soundings indicate stable ridgetop inversions coupled with strong subsidence, however, confidence remains low regarding if these winds will descend to the surface. However, confidence is high for a widespread, strong synoptically driven wind event late Sunday morning into the evening. A secondary surface low will deepen in the lee of the northern Rockies, driving a cold front through the region from the northwest. Ensembles show excellent agreement regarding the KYKM-CYQL surface pressure gradient tightening to +17 to +22 mb. Combined with 850 mb winds of 35 to 45 knots, widespread strong winds are expected. The NBM 50th percentile highlights wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph extending from the lee of the Cascades across the Columbia Basin, Palouse, and Spokane/CdA areas, with 75th percentile values reaching 50 to 55 mph. Peak gusts exceeding 60 mph are forecast for the higher terrain. Expected impacts include isolated tree damage, localized power outages, difficult driving conditions, and hazardous lake conditions. Following the frontal passage, snow levels will crash, transitioning mountain rain to snow. Accumulations of 3 to 8 inches at Stevens Pass will create winter driving conditions Sunday into Monday. Monday through Friday: Ensembles are in strong agreement that the Inland Northwest will remain under broad upper-level troughing Monday and Tuesday, positioned on the cold, unstable side of the polar jet. This will keep the region in an active, showery pattern with periods of mountain snow showers. Forecast uncertainty increases significantly for the Wednesday and Thursday timeframe. Current ensemble guidance indicates a surface low approaching the southern British Columbia coast on Wednesday, which would lift a warm front across the Inland Northwest and displace the jet axis northward. This system is forecast to be followed by a cold frontal passage late Wednesday night into Thursday. This period will be closely monitored for significant mountain snow, potential light lowland snow accumulations, and another round of strong winds. By early Friday morning, the NBM 50th percentile 72 hour snowfall amounts range between 30 to 40 inches for the Cascades, with the 10th to 90th percentile spread ranging from 12 to 60 inches. The potential for lowland snow remains highly uncertain, with a 10 to 30 percent chance of 1 inch. Additionally, the cold frontal passage on Thursday brings another threat for strong winds, with a 40 to 50 percent chance of gusts exceeding 45 mph. /vmt && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: A moist boundary layer combined with low level upslope winds has resulted in an expansion of IFR/MVFR stratus overnight over Northeast Washington into the Idaho Panhandle including KGEG/KSFF/KCOE. As low level winds shift to west- southwest combined with afternoon heating the cloud layer is expected to lift with conditions becoming VFR. Overnight increasing westerly flow takes aim at the region, producing LLWS at KEAT starting around 04z and persisting through the overnight hours. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence for MVFR and localized IFR across far eastern Washington and north Idaho Saturday morning. High confidence for ceilings to gradually improve to VFR through the afternoon at KGEG/KSFF, but lower confidence on timing of improvement at KCOE. High confidence for breezy west to southwest winds late Saturday morning into the evening. JW ----------------------- Confidence descriptors: Low - Less than a 30 percent chance Moderate - 30 to 70 percent chance High - Greater than a 70 percent chance For additional probabilistic information for NWS Spokane airports,please refer to the Aviation Dashboard on our webpage: https:/www.weather.gov/otx/avndashboard && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... Spokane 60 43 56 30 43 26 / 10 10 20 20 20 30 Coeur d'Alene 54 43 54 30 42 25 / 40 10 60 40 50 50 Pullman 58 43 54 30 41 26 / 30 10 40 60 50 70 Lewiston 65 45 62 37 47 31 / 20 0 20 50 30 60 Colville 59 40 57 27 44 22 / 10 10 30 10 30 10 Sandpoint 49 42 50 29 40 25 / 60 30 90 40 60 50 Kellogg 50 43 49 30 38 27 / 80 30 90 70 70 80 Moses Lake 67 44 62 30 48 26 / 10 0 0 0 0 0 Wenatchee 64 45 56 32 45 29 / 10 10 30 10 20 10 Omak 62 42 60 27 46 25 / 10 10 10 10 10 0 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...None. ID...None. &&
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind, 3 heavy snow, 1 strong wind, 1 dust storm, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted to 50 kts (57 mph) 3 miles southwest of Peola. Other gusts recorded in the area were in the 40s mph range.
Winds gusted to 50 kts (58 mph) at 2135 PST. It is located 4 miles northwest of Entiat.
Sustained winds reached 38 kts (44 mph) and gusts near 43 kts (50 mph) 3 miles Northwest of Leavenworth. Other gusts across the Chelan county ranged from 40 to 50 mph.
Gusts reached 49 kts (56 mph) at 1651 PST 11 miles northeast of Peola. Other reports from Lower Garfield and Asotin county areas had gusts reaching into the 40 mph range.
Spokane Airport recorded a gust of 51 mph at 1550 PST. Sustained winds were 43 mph. Other reports across the Spokane area had gusts 40 to 55 mph.
Station recorded a gust of 50 kts (57 mph) 10 miles north of Royal City. Other gusts in the area ranged from 43 to 54 mph.
Strong winds knocked downed two trees, and led to roof damage of a shed around the Pierre Lake Road and House Road area 4 miles southeast of Orient. Wind gusts of 46 mph were measured in the area.
Washington DOT reported visibility down to between 200 and 300 ft along I-90 between Adams Rd and the Winchester Eastbound Rest Area. Winds in the area were sustained in the 30s with gusts into the 45 to 55 mph range.
Observer reported 14.5 inches of snow 9 miles west of Lucerne.
Blizzard conditions were experienced at Stevens Pass. The area saw wind gusts up to 81 mph causing downed trees. Heavy snow reduced visibility to near zero miles.
Observer reported 8.2 inches of snow 9 miles west of Twisp. Other reports ranged from 6 inches near Winthrop, 4 inches near Mazama, and 6 to 7 inches southeast of Twisp.
Observer reported 14 inches of snow for the entire event. Other reports in the area ranged from 7 to 9.5 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, March 2026
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: 1328016, 1326840, 1327983, 1327993, 1328023, 1328005, 1328459, 1328000, 1328472, 1328471, 1328470, 1328469.