Winter Storm — Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

2022-01-02 to 2022-01-03 · Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Event narrative

Heavy snow and ice accumulation resulted in the closure of I-84, a major transportation corridor connecting western and eastern Oregon and Washington. Around 24 inches of snow fell in Stevenson, WA. In the Multnomah Falls area along I-84, 5 inches of snow fell with an unknown amount of ice accumulation, leading to the highway closure.

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 1004958. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.