Heavy Snow — Central Cascade Foothills, Washington

1996-12-28 to 1996-12-29 · Central Cascade Foothills, Washington

Wider weather episode

Another round of heavy snow hit most of the Puget Sound area. At 430 am Port Angeles had 15" new snow and 25" on the ground. In North Seattle the snow changed to rain at 6 am, but by that time they had 9" new snow and 22" on the ground. Friday Harbor had 12" overnight and a snow depth of 30". Silverdale 10" new snow and 21" total. By 8 am Hoodsport was raining, but overnight they received 13" and had 28" on the ground. By 9 am, when most of the snow turned to rain, most places around Puget Sound had 18 to 24 inches of snow on the ground. Nearly every county in Western Washington was declared a disaster, with nearly $100 million in damage in King County alone. Numerous marina boat shelters collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, sinking nearly 400 boats and causing about $8 million worth of damage. Bus service in Seattle was cancelled for the first time ever. 76 roads or state highways were closed at one point. There were many power outages and dozens of collapsed roofs. Mail and paper deliveries were held up. There was approximately $225 million in insured damage over western WA. Kenneth Schmoe, of Issaquah, was killed by a tree branch. There was also one car accident death that was not directly related to the heavy snow. In Gig Harbor some people were without power for four to five days.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5577236. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.