Winter Storm — East Slopes of the Oregon Cascades, Oregon

2024-01-09 to 2024-01-10 · East Slopes of the Oregon Cascades, Oregon

Event narrative

A cocorahs observer 2 miles west northwest of Sisters measured 9.5 inches of new snow in a 24 hour period ending at 0600 PST on Jan. 10th. A trained spotter 6 miles south southwest of Three Rivers reported 14 inches of new snow in 36 hours ending at 1015 PST on Jan. 10th. ODOT reported high winds and whiteout conditions through Santiam Pass around 1100 PST on Jan 9th. A member of the public reported whiteout conditions at Lava Butte Pass along US 97, with winds gusting between 38 to 43 mph and blowing snow for several hours ending at 1500 PST on Jan 9th.

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front followed by an upper low passage brought blizzard conditions to area mountains with heavy snow having been reported across the mountains and lower elevation areas as well. The cold front passage also produced strong winds across the area Jan 9th, with areas of the foothills of the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the lower Columbia Basin of Washington reaching warning criteria.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1161844. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.