Heavy Snow — Coast Range of Nw Oregon, Oregon

2023-02-21 to 2023-02-23 · Coast Range of Nw Oregon, Oregon

Event narrative

Snow amounts ranged from 3 to 6 inches in the Van Duzer Corridor, to up to 8 to 15 inches or more in the higher elevations and along the eastern slopes of the Coast Range. NOHRSC analysis shows up to 2 feet near Mt Hebo. It appears Saddle Mountain may have received as much as 28 inches of snow per Snotel data. Another burst of snow brought 6 to 12 inches of snow, with the heaviest totals in western Washington County along the east slopes of the Coast Range.

Wider weather episode

A significant winter weather event impacted portions of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Particularly hard hit was the Portland and Vancouver metro area. A crippling snowstorm impacted the Portland and Vancouver metro area on the afternoon of February 22, continuing into the night. The storm brought widespread 6 to 12 inch snowfall totals to the area. Snowfall distribution was greatly influenced by mesoscale banding. The timing of this event also magnified its impacts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1100643. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.