Winter Weather — Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

2022-12-20 · Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Event narrative

Multiple vehicle accidents on I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge resulted in one fatality on the eastbound lane near Rooster Rock State Park. The accidents were attributed to black ice and strong east winds. Light rain fell the evening prior, with freezing temperature following late that evening. There may have been a period of freezing rain as well.

Wider weather episode

An arctic front over western Washington combined with a moist systems arriving off the Pacific Ocean gave rise to heavy snow in the south Washington Cascades, and eventually in the lower elevations. There was one traffic fatality in the Western Columbia River on the 20th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1071235. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.