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CHAPTER 13. SEVERE WEATHER <br />13-9 <br />Date Event Type Event Location Property Damages <br />1/7/2017 Heavy Snow Kittitas County None Recorded <br />1/17/2017 Ice Storm East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />1/17/2017 Ice Storm Kittitas County None Recorded <br />2/2/2017 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />2/5/2017 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />2/5/2017 Heavy Snow Kittitas County None Recorded <br />2/8/2017 Winter Storm East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />2/8/2017 Heavy Snow Kittitas County None Recorded <br />3/6/2017 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />12/28/2017 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />12/28/2017 Ice Storm Kittitas County None Recorded <br />1/10/2018 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />1/23/2018 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />1/25/2018 Heavy Snow East Slopes of the Washington Cascades None Recorded <br />4/27/2018 High Wind Kittitas County None Recorded <br /> <br />Historic events provide context for the most severe potential events. According to the National Weather <br />Service Forecast Office in Pendleton, Oregon, the largest daily snowfall from 1999 to present in Ellensburg <br />was 9.0 inches on December 6th, 2001. The overall Ellensburg record is 19 inches of snowfall, which <br />occurred on February 2, 1916. Tuesday, February 12, 2019 saw the largest snowfall in a 24-hour period on <br />Snoqualmie Pass. Crews recorded 31.5 inches of snow near Hyak Sno-Park according to the Washing State <br />Department of Transportation. The lowest temperature on record in Ellensburg was -31 degrees Fahrenheit, <br />and occurred on December 12th, 1919. According to the Western Regional Climate Center, Ellensburg had <br />the highest annual average wind speed in the state from 1998 to 2006. The Wild Horse Wind and Solar <br />Facility in Ellensburg has recorded wind speeds up to 117 mph. Historical records for tornados and hail is <br />unavailable. <br /> <br />13.2.2 Location <br />Severe weather events have the potential to happen anywhere in the planning area. Communities in low- <br />lying areas next to streams or lakes are more susceptible to flooding. Wind events are most damaging to <br />areas that are heavily wooded. Figure 13-2, Figure 13-3, Figure 13-4, and Figure 13-5 show the distribution <br />of average weather conditions over Kittitas County.