Heavy Snow — Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties, Washington

2021-02-06 · Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties, Washington

Event narrative

Snow began near daybreak on February 6th and continued through the early morning hours of February 8th. Snow was heaviest on the 6th, from around sunrise through midnight. In a 12 hour period from roughly 8am to 8pm on February 6th, Paradise at Mount Rainier picked up around 14 inches of new snow.

Wider weather episode

Strong cyclonic flow encompassed much of the lower 48 on February 6th, stretching from the Pacific Northwest through New England. Western Washington still remained in an active flow pattern, with the polar jet stream overtop the area, contributing to unsettled weather conditions and continued heavy mountain snow. The mountains affected the most in this unsettled pattern included the Central and Southern Cascades.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 945322. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.