Winter Storm — South Washington Cascades, Washington

2022-01-02 to 2022-01-03 · South Washington Cascades, Washington

Event narrative

A very active frontal system brought heavy snow to the South Washington Cascades on the 2nd and 3rd with snow totals between 17 and 27 inches. Peak snow fall rates are estimated at 3 to 4 inches per hour. One particular site, June Lake SNOTEL (MRBW1) at 3440 feet had 34 inches.

Wider weather episode

The first of two strong Pacific fronts brought high winds to the coast as well as gusty winds to the Willamette Valley and interior lowlands of southwest Washington. This storm generated large seas impacting the coastline, and combined with rising river levels and high astronomical tides, resulted in some flooding along the coast due to poor drainage. In addition to the wind and rain, heavy snow fell in the mountains and in the Columbia River Gorge where transportation corridors between western and eastern Oregon and Washington were temporarily closed due the heavy snow accumulation.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1004906. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.