Heavy Snow — Yakima Valley, Washington

2022-12-04 to 2022-12-05 · Yakima Valley, Washington

Event narrative

A Co-Op observer 1 mile north northwest of Sunnyside, Wa measured 5.5 inches of new over a 24 hour period ending at 0816 PST on Dec. 5th. A Cocorahs observer 2 miles north northeast of Granger, Wa measured 4 inches of new snow over a 24 hour period ending at 0930 PST on Dec. 5th.

Wider weather episode

A series of deformation bands aided by a closed upper low off the southwest Oregon coastline resulted in light to moderate snowfall through much of the day Dec. 4th and through the morning on Dec. 5th. The prolonged snowfall resulted in heavy snow accumulations across the Lower Columbia Basin, portions of the eastern Columbia River Gorge, the Blue Mountain Foothills, and in the Yakima valley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1072036. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.