Heavy Snow — Cascades in Lane County, Oregon

2022-01-03 to 2022-01-04 · Cascades in Lane County, Oregon

Event narrative

A very active frontal system brought heavy snow to the Cascades in Lane County on the 3rd and 4th with snow totals mostly between 21 and 26 inches. One site, McKenzie SNOTEL (MKZO3) at 4770 feet had a total of 32 inches of snow.

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 1004945. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.