A severe windstorm in the lee of the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.

Abstract

Describes a severe, leeside windstorm that struck parts of western Washington State on 23-35 Dec. 1983. It is shown that strong winds, some exceeding 50 m s-1, were mainly limited to swaths downwind of gaps in the Cascade Mountains. An examination of the December 1983 event and previous major windstorms indicates that they are generally associated with strong sea-level pressure gradients, a stable layer near crest level east of the Cascades which subsides west of the mountains, and light to moderate easterly flow at crest level.-from Authors