Ice Storm — Eastern Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

2022-12-25 · Eastern Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Event narrative

A trained spotter 5 miles south southwest of Chenoweth, OR measured 0.25 inches of new ice accumulations from freezing rain at 0715 PST on Dec. 25th.

Wider weather episode

A series of surface frontal boundaries, warm air overrunning low level and valley cold pools, and a moderate transport of moisture in a west to southwest flow aloft resulted in impactful wintry conditions across southeast Washington, northeast and central Oregon. A mix of heavy freezing rain and heavy snow resulted in numerous traffic accidents and highway closures across the region during this period.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1073281. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.