Blizzard in Washington
Every blizzard event the National Weather Service has filed in Washington, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
The most significant on the map
The most significant blizzard episodes in Washington.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 32
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 1
- Damage
- $2.2 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Blizzard in Washington, May 29, 20023 climbers lost their lives near the top of Mt Rainier when high winds destroyed their tents and collapsed their snow caves.
- Blizzard and Ice Storm in Washington, February 11 to 15, 2021A deep upper trough drove an arctic airmass into southwest Washington. As multiple Pacific fronts moved over the area, a major elevation winter storm with heavy snow and freezing rain occurred over a multi-day period.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, December 20 to 22, 2008The third in a series of an unusually cold storm systems brought heavy snow accumulations to southwest Washington. The heavy snowfall created a significant impact to many communities across southwest Washington.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, December 20 to 21, 2008Heavy amounts of snow fell over much of Western Washington. In a few areas, the snow was combined with strong winds and poor visibility to create blizzard conditions.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 8 to 10, 2019A potent winter storm brought significant snow accumulations to much of central and eastern Washington beginning on the evening of the 8th and peaking on the 9th of February.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, January 11 to 13, 2024A very strong arctic front moved across Western Washington and Oregon on the 12th and 13th dropping temperatures below freezing.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, November 21 to 23, 2010A deep low pressure system tracking through Oregon in combination with an arctic area of high pressure over British Columbia resulted in strong northerly winds and snow with areas of blizzard conditions. Washington state activated its Emergency Operations Center.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, December 28 to 29, 2010Heavy snow fell over much of Eastern Washington, as well as blizzard conditions on the Palouse. Widespread accidents, major highway closures, and thousands losing power resulted during this major storm. Road closures include U.S.
- Blizzard and Dust Storm in Washington, March 7 to 13, 2026A 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.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, January 6 to 9, 2004A strong winter storm packing the powerful punch of a frigid arctic airmass, heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain, along with strong east winds through and near the Columbia River Gorge snarled travel, forced the closure of most schools and businesses, and resulted in widespread…
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 22 to 24, 2011A very cold upper-level trough settled into the Pacific Northwest on the 21st and 22nd of February.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Washington, January 8 to 10, 2024A strong cold front swept across the Pacific Northwest on the 8th, ushering in much colder air. Strong and deep onshore flow in this cold air mass led to periods of heavy snow, strong winds for the Cascades, with snow for the lowlands.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, February 5 to 9, 2008On February 1st, snow depth at Snoqualmie Pass was 130 inches, or 165 percent of normal. On Friday, Feb. 8th, all 3 passes - Snoqualmie, Stevens and White, were all closed, the first time this had happened in 11 years.
- Blizzard and Winter Weather in Washington, January 10 to 11, 2017An arctic air mass invaded the region creating windy conditions over the Columbia Basin.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Washington, December 15, 2006A strong storm brought winter weather to the southwest Washington Cascades, dropping in excess of a foot of snow in some areas. This storm also had very strong winds, and produced blizzard conditions in some areas.
- Blizzard and High Wind in Washington, November 27, 2019Strong winds on the evening of November 27th downed trees in Selah and caused Blizard conditions near Benton City, WA.
- Blizzard and High Wind in Washington, November 19 to 20, 2024A strong band of SW flow aloft associated with a deep offshore low allowed for very strong wind gusts to occur across the foothills of the Blue Mountains during the overnight period of November 19-20.
- Blizzard in Washington, December 29, 1996State routes in Okanogan were closed for two days as a blizzard dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow. Scores of motorists got stuck as snow removal crew tried to keep up with drifting snow from winds 20 to 35 mph.
- Blizzard in Washington, December 27 to 28, 1996By 430 am friday morning Bellingham had gotten nearly 7 inches in the last 10 hrs, total snow depth downtown was almost 12 inches. By saturday night roughly 3 feet of snow had fallen and they had wind up to 50 mph with wind chills near 50 below.
- Blizzard in Washington, November 28, 2001Blizzard conditions were reported by Ski Bluewood from 9 am through early afternoon.
- Blizzard in Washington, November 28 to 29, 2001A moisture-laden winter storm struck the northeast Blue Mountains on November 28 with major snowfall totals and strong wind. The following is a tally of 24-hour snowfall totals: Field Springs State Park...9", Anatone...6", and the nearby Bluewood Ski Area...8".
- Blizzard in Washington, December 12 to 14, 2008A strong winter storm brought heavy snow and high winds to the area which caused blizzard conditions in the south Washington Cascades.
- Blizzard in Washington, February 6 to 7, 2014Preceding cold arctic air mass combined with Strong East winds and a moist front resulted in blizzard conditions for the Western Columbia River Gorge.
More
Sources
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.