Winter Storm — East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington

2005-01-17 to 2005-01-18 · East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington

Wider weather episode

Cold arctic air trapped along the east slopes of the southern Washington Cascades followed by warm moist-overrunning precipitation led to significant sleet and ice accumulations. Ice accumulations of 1.5 inches were reported at Cle Elum. Ice accumulations of around a half inch and sleet accumulations of 2-3 inches were also reported near Rosyln. Interstate 90 from Cle Elum to Ellensburg was closed in both directions on January 18th from 9:05 AM to 10:06 AM due to extreme icing conditions on the interstate. Eastbound on I-90 from Cle Elum to Ellensburg was closed from Monday night through late Tuesday morning. The ice also downed several trees onto power lines, causing 1,000 customers in the Easton and West Nelson areas to lose electricity for more than 12 hours.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5434177. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.