Strong Wind — East Slopes Northern Cascades, Washington

2020-12-21 to 2020-12-22 · East Slopes Northern Cascades, Washington

Event narrative

There were sustained winds 20 - 30 mph with gusty winds to 55 mph in the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Local utility companies reported 1,200 people in Chelan County without power due to large trees falling on power lines.

Wider weather episode

A new winter system moved in as a trough dropped into the Pacific Northwest on December 21st. With the accompanying atmospheric river, this system had substantial moisture with it bringing a wet and windy day ahead. Most of Eastern Washington was still too warm for snow, but there was moderate snowfall in the east Cascade slopes. Throughout the remainder of the region, locations received 24 hour rainfall totals up to 0.5 - 1.0. In addition to wet conditions, the evening of the 21st into the early morning hours of the 22nd were windy. The strongest winds were in far Eastern Washington, from Spokane to Pullman, and Cascade slopes.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 933234. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.