Some of the Area's Snowstorms

Most snowstorms need two ingredients: cold air and moisture. Rarely do the two ingredients occur at the same time over western Oregon, except in the higher elevations of the Coast Range and especially in the Cascades. But snowstorms do occur over eastern Oregon regularly during December through February. Cold arctic air sinks south along the Columbia River Basin, filling the valleys with cold air. Storms moving across the area drop precipitation, and if conditions are right, snow will occur.

However, it is not that easy of a recipe for western Oregon. Cold air rarely moves west of the Cascades Range. The Cascades act as a natural barrier, damming cold air east of the range. The only spigot is the Columbia River Gorge, which funnels the cold air into the Portland area. Cold air then begins deepening in the Columbia River valley, eventually becoming deep enough to sink southward into the Willamette valley. If the cold air east of the Cascades is deep, it will spill through the gaps of the Cascades and flow into the western valleys via the many river drainage areas along the western slope. The cold air in western Oregon is now in place. The trick is to get a storm to move near or over the cold air, which will use the cold air and produce freezing rain, sleet, and/or snow. Sometimes, copious amounts of snow are produced. Nearly every year, minor snowfalls of up to six inches occur in the western interior valleys. However, it is a rare occurrence for snowfalls of over a foot in accumulations.

1. December 29, 2009
   A storm swung through the area causing many headaches for the evening commute.
   


2. December 2008
   A series of storms dropped feet of snow over portions of the Willamette Valley. The Portland Airport broke its all-time December snowfall record receiving 18.9" for the month and was second only to January 1950 for the most snowfall in any month. The onset of cold air moved in around December 14 and lingered through Christmas morning.



3. February 14 to 16, 1990
   A storm brought 24 to 35 inches of snow to the Columbia Gorge cities of Cascade Locks and Hood River. Up to 28 inches fell in the North Coast Range, 16 inches at Timberline Lodge. The Willamette Valley was coated with 2 to 4 inches except the higher hills around Portland received up to 1 foot. On the 16th, 10 to 15 inches of new snow fell in the North Coast Range and 20 to 35 inches in the North Cascades. The South Cascades reported between 1 and 2 feet additional snow. The Columbia Gorge had up to 6 inches of more snow while the Willamette Valley had 2 to 5 inches more. South-central areas did not escape the new snow with 9 inches reported from Chemult, 6 to 8 inches in the Klamath Falls and Lakeview areas. Tipton Summit in the northeast mountains had 6 inches of new snow as did Juantura in the southeast.



4. February 1 to 8, 1989
   Arctic air pushed southward across Oregon between the 1st and the 3rd of the month. Heavy snow fell over all of Oregon. Some coastal areas had 6 to 12 inches of snow, an event of which is almost unheard. Salem reported 9 inches of snow and over a foot settled over the state. Numerous record temperatures were set. Strong winds produced wind chill temperatures of between 30 and 60 degrees F below zero. There were extensive power failures as well as considerable home and business damage resulting from frozen plumbing throughout the state. Damage estimates exceeded well over a million dollars. Several moored boats sank on the Columbia River because of ice accumulation. There were five weather-related deaths, three in auto accidents caused by ice and snow, and two in which women had frozen to death.



5. January 25 to 31, 1969 [historical photo in Willamette Valley]
   For many areas, this storm was the most extreme on record. Snowfall over the state was much above normal, mostly in part due to a very cold January. Between the 25th and 30th, snowfall records throughout Lane, Douglas, and Coos counties, were surpassed by incredible numbers. Snowfalls of 2 to 3 feet fell on the valley floors, with much heavier amounts in the higher terrain. At Eugene, a snowdepth of 34 inches was recorded on the 30th, and the total January snowfall was 47 inches, nearly 7 times the normal monthly snowfall! Roseburg reported a snowdepth of 27 inches and a monthly snowfall of 35.2 inches. Along the coast, where the average snowfall is generally less than two inches, January snowfall totals ranged from 2 to 3 feet, with snowdepths of 10 to 20 inches reported. Hundreds of farm buildings and several large industrial buildings collapsed under the weight of the heavy wet snow. Losses in livestock were heavy. Many entire communities were completely isolated for nearly a week. At times, traffic on nearly every major highway west of the Cascades and some in central Oregon were halted at a number of locations. Total losses from this snowstorm in Oregon were estimated between $3,000,000 and $4,000,000.



6. January 9 to 18, 1950
   January 1950 was a very cold month statewide, with freqent snowstorms. For the state as a whole, snow was the heaviest during this January than ever before since the beginning of weather record keeping, which began in 1890. For some areas, the heaviest one-day snowfall was reported during the first few days of the month, while for others the heaviest one-day snowfall occurred during the last few days. For most locations, the heaviest occurred during the period of January 9 through the 18th. Actually, there were three storms, but very little time separated them. Their net effect was a nearly continuous storm. On the 13th, snow was accompanied by high winds, creating widespread blowing and drifting of snow. Deep snow drifts closed all highways west of the Cascades and through the Columbia River Gorge. A very severe sleet storm began around noon on the 18th.
   
   Within hours sleet piled up to depths of 4 to 5 inches in northwestern Oregon. During the night of the 18th, the sleet turned to freezing rain, and created much havoc on highways, trees, and power lines. Hundreds of motorists were stranded in the Columbia River Gorge. The stranded motorists had to be rescued by train, though even all rail traffic had considerable difficulty and many delays in getting through the Gorge. Freezing rain downed many trees and power lines, creating widespread power outages across northwestern Oregon. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage occurred.

   Select 1950 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

   Location	1 day	3 days	10 days	Greatest Snowdepth
   Crater Lake	27.0	66.0	180.0	136.0
   Parkdale	17.0	32.0	75.0	61.0
   Bonneville Dam	12.0	25.0	42.0	39.0
   Bend	16.0	23.0	33.0	25.0
   Portland	8.0	14.0	22.0	15.0

   
   Also, here are the snowfall totals across the state for the entire month.
   
   

   Western Oregon January 1950 Snowfall Totals

   Location	January 1950 Snowfall
   Albany	54.7 inches
   Astoria Agricultural Station	39.4 inches
   Bandon	6.0 inches
   Brookings	6.0 inches
   Clatskanie	68.5 inches
   Corvallis	52.0 inches
   Cottage Grove dam	121.0 inches
   Detroit dam	122.0 inches
   Estacada	31.0 inches
   Eugene	36.0 inches
   Falls City	78.0 inches
   Forest Grove	59.0 inches
   Gold Beach	3.0 inches
   Hillsboro	42.4 inches
   Leaburg	50.0 inches
   Marion Forks	196.0 inches
   McMinnville	47.0 inches
   Medford	20.1 inches
   Molalla	30.0 inches
   Newport	6.2 inches
   North Bend	2.5 inches
   Oregon City	34.0 inches
   Otis	20.0 inches
   Portland Airport	41.0 inches
   Portland downtown	32.9 inches
   Powers	18.1 inches
   Prospect	87.5 inches
   Reedsport	5.0 inches
   Riddle	42.9 inches
   Roseburg	28.0 inches
   Salem	32.8 inches
   Santiam Pass	128.5 inches
   Sexton Summit	73.9 inches
   Three Links	96.0 inches
   Tillamook	18.9 inches
   Timberline Lodge	224 inches
   Troutdale	36.7 inches

   
   

   Eastern Oregon January 1950 Snowfall Totals

   Location	January 1950 Snowfall
   Antelope	40.0 inches
   Baker City	24.4 inches
   Bend	56.5 inches
   Burns	31.9 inches
   Cascade Locks	92.5 inches
   Condon	43.1 inches
   Crater Lake	136.0 inches
   Dufur	18.0 inches
   Enterprise	30.8 inches
   Fossil	49.3 inches
   Fremont	49.2 inches
   Granite	80.0 inches
   Grizzly	42.5 inches
   Hart Mountain Wildlife Refuge	25.5 inches
   Heppner	36.5 inches
   Hood River	93.8 inches
   Klamath Falls	56.5 inches
   Klamath Falls airport	38.1 inches
   La Grande	42.0 inches
   Madras	28.0 inches
   Meacham	41.8 inches
   Mitchell	25.8 inches
   Moro	54.0 inches
   Ochoco Ranger Station	67.7 inches
   Odell Lake East	134.0 inches
   Ontario	17.0 inches
   Parkdale	138.5 inches
   Pendleton	41.6 inches
   Prineville	24.0 inches
   Redmond	36.0 inches
   Redmond airport	28.8 inches
   Rome	8.1 inches
   The Dalles	76.0 inches
   Umatilla	24.8 inches
   Union	24.8 inches
   Unity	19.0 inches
   Wickiup dam near Sunriver	68.3 inches




7. January 31 to February 4, 1937
   While this storm was quite general over the state, the heavy snowfalls were largely confined to the western slopes of the Cascades and the Willamette Valley. Heaviest snow fell on the afternoon and evening of January 31 and into the morning of February 1. Deep snow drifts blocked major highways and most minor roads in northern Oregon and the Cascades mountains passes for several days. Following are some snowfall amounts from the storm:
   
   

   Select 1937 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

   Location	1 day	Storm Total
   Albany	16.0	18.0
   Cascade Locks	22.0	46.0
   Cascade Summit	8.0	28.0
   Corvallis	12.0	18.0
   Crater Lake	24.0	72.0
   Dallas	24.0	26.2
   Forest Grove	9.0	16.0
   Government Camp	10.0	33.5
   McMinnville	7.0	15.5
   Parkdale	10.0	32.5
   Portland	13.8	17.5
   Salem	25.0	25.6
   Siskiyou Summit	10.0	13.0
   The Dalles	7.0	7.0




8. December 9 to 11, 1919
   This snowstorm was one of the third heaviest snowfall-producing storms to hit Oregon on record. It was a particularly cold December with the lowest statewide average temperature since record keeping began in 1890. The Columbia River froze over, closing the river to navigation from the confluence with the Willamette River upstream. The snowstorm affected nearly every part of the state, with heavy snow falling over a widespread area. The heaviest snow fell on the 10th. Here are some of the many snowfall reports:
   
   

   Select 1919 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

   Location	1 day	Storm Total
   Albany	10.0	25.5
   Ashland	15.5	17.8
   Bend	28.0	49.0
   Cascade Locks	13.0	21.5
   Corvallis	11.0	20.0
   Crater Lake	22.7	45.0
   Eugene	4.5	8.5
   Forest Grove	13.6	25.1
   Fremont	11.0	22.0
   Government Camp	11.4	21.4
   Grants Pass	5.5	5.5
   Heppner	12.0	16.0
   Klamath Falls	8.0	8.0
   La Grande	3.5	7.0
   Lakeview	5.8	5.8
   McMinneville	14.0	24.0
   Parkdale	40.0	63.0
   Pendleton	12.0	15.0
   Portland	13.5	17.5
   Salem	17.5	23.0
   Siskiyou Summit	36.0	50.0
   The Dalles	17.0	26.0




9. January 30 to February 3, 1916
   Snow produced by this storm fell mostly along the northern Oregon border. Heaviest snowfall occurred in the Hood River valley where Parkdale received 29.5 inches in one day (February 2) and a storm total of 81.5 inches. Heavy snow also fell at other locations, especially in the higher Cascades. Government Camp had a one-day snowfall of 41.0 inches and a storm total of 85.7 inches. There had been considerable snow earlier at many of these locations, especially those in the Cascades. At many of these locations, the earlier snow had not melted. As a result, very substantial snow depths occurred with the addition of the new snow.
   
   

   Select 1916 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

   Location	Storm Total	Greatest Snowdepth
   Cascade Locks	46.5	61.0
   Glenora	33.5	35.0
   Pendleton	28.0	31.0
   Portland	13.5	not available
   Condon	21.0	not available
   Heppner	28.5	not available
   Parkdale	81.5	not available
   Government Camp	85.7	110.0




10. January 11 to 15, 1916
    This storm affected the entire state. A few days earlier, on the 6 through the 10th, heavy snow fell in the mountainous areas. During the first snowstorm of the 6th through the 10th, Siskiyou Summit received 15.0 inches in one day, and 34.5 inches for the entire storm. During the same storm, Cascade Locks received 7.0 inches in one day and 24.0 inches for the entire storm. During the second storm of January 11 through the 15th, every reporting station in western Oregon, except for the southwestern interior and the coastal areas, recorded storm totals of at least 5.0 inches and most locations had 8.0 inches or more! McMinnville had the honors of the most snow in one-day, with 11.0 inches falling on the 12th. Siskiyou Summit received another 24.0 inches, adding to the 34 inches already on the ground from the previous storm. Higher elevations in the Cascades received very heavy snowfall.




11. January 5 to 10, 1909
    Many locations, particularly in western Oregon, received more snow in this 6-day period than they normally would receive in an entire year! Here are some of the snowfall totals:

    Select 1909 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

    Location	1 day	Storm Total
    Albany	3.5	11.5
    Ashland	4.6	9.1
    Eugene	7.5	15.1
    Forest Grove	8.0	29.0
    Grants Pass	5.5	8.5
    Lakeview	7.0	17.0
    Portland	8.5	19.3
    The Dalles	4.5	14.5




12. December 20 to 23, 1892
    Substantial snow fell across most of northern Oregon, with the greatest snowfall reported over northwestern Oregon. In the northwest part of the state, storm totals ranged from 15 to 30 inches. Here are some the more extreme snowfall reports:
    
    

    Select 1892 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

    Location	1 day	Storm Total
    Albany	9.0	15.0
    Corvallis	9.0	14.0
    Portland	14.0	27.5
    Forest Grove	15.0	28.0
    Pendleton	6.0	8.0




13. December 16 to 18, 1884
    Only a few widely scattered observing stations existed at this time. However, enough reports were available to provide some insight to this heavy snowstorm. Most of the heavy snow fell over the Columbia River Basin from Portland to The Dalles and along the Cascades foothills in the Willamette valley. Here are some snowfall reports:
    
    

    Select 1884 Snowstorm Totals (inches)

    Location	1 day	Storm Total
    Albany	16.0	19.0
    The Dalles	29.5	not available
    Portland	12.4	22.3

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