A case study is presented which illustrates the characteristics and behavior of mesoscale precipitation features associated with an occluded frontal system passing through western Washington State. During the storm period (December 5-7,1973), six rainbands were observed by means of autographic raingauge and radar data. The first five bands were similar in size, about 50 km in width on average, while the width of the last band was l00 km. The first two bands, observed on December 5, appeared to have been parallel to the warm front of the occluded system. The next two bands, observed on December 6, occurred in the warm sector of a wave which had developed on the cold front and were probably parallel to the cold front- These two bands moved from the southwest at about 35 km h_1. The final two bands, observed on December 7, were parallel to the cold front and accompanied its passage. Smaller scale elements, with mean sizes of 50 -240 km2, were embedded in the rainbands in concentrations of 1 to 3 per 1000 km2 and they moved with the wind between 850 and 700 mb (presumably the levels where precipitation particles were generated).