Seattle Snowstorm Case Study from February 2001

COMET Case Study 036 documents a major snowstorm that hit Seattle on February 16, 2001. The event involved an arctic front from Canada interacting with Pacific air, producing snow accumulations from four to eight inches in lowlands and up to a foot in hills. The case study was published by UCAR/JOSS/NOAA/CODIAC and last updated on February 17, 2001.

Use Cases

• Analyze snow accumulation patterns (4-8 inches in lowlands, 1 foot in hills) relative to terrain features.
• Study the interaction dynamics between an arctic front and warmer Pacific air masses described in the event narrative.
• Model the temporal progression of the storm using the documented date (February 16, 2001) and geographic origin (from Canada into Washington).

Strengths

• Case study focuses on a single, well-documented extreme weather event with specific dates.
• Provides concrete, quantified observations for snow accumulation across different terrains.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to one specific event in 2001, offering no longitudinal or comparative data.
• Unknown row count, column structure, and file formats limit direct analytical utility.

Provenance

Source

UCAR/JOSS/NOAA/CODIAC via the COMET program.

Collection Method

Documented case study based on meteorological observations.

Time Range

February 16-17, 2001.

Freshness

Data represents a historical event from 2001 with no indicated updates.

Geography

Seattle area and western Washington, USA, with origins tracing to Canada.