Ice Storm — Moses Lake Area, Washington

1996-11-19 · Moses Lake Area, Washington

Wider weather episode

Before the freezing rain hit there was already 2 to 4 inches of snow on the ground. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of freezing rain fell over the Spokane area, knocking out power to 50% of the people and forcing the mayor to declare a state of emergency. It was the worst ice storm in 60 years, and the worst power outage in 108 years. 3 days after the storm, 100,000 people in the county were still without power. 6 days after the storm, 20,000 were still without power, with below freezing temperatures for most of the time. All the hotels and motels were full. School was closed for 3 days, and the airport was closed for several hours during the storm. Trees were down everywhere, and Gregory Carlson, 29, was killed when a pine snapped and crushed his motor home.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5571026. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.