Cold/Wind Chill — Western Whatcom County, Washington

2021-12-26 · Western Whatcom County, Washington

Event narrative

With Western Whatcom experiencing the strongest Fraser Outflow at the beginning of the winter storm event, a record low temperature was set at Bellingham of 11F, which replaces the old record of 12F set in 1971.

Wider weather episode

A very cold airmass pushed into Western Washington at the end of December, resulting in cold air amidst sufficient moisture and lift as a modified arctic frontal boundary slid south. This made for significant lowland and mountain snow, with a period of drier but much colder weather for the following days. Several climate sites reached record low temperatures during and shortly after the winter storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 998624. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.