Blizzard — Central Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

2024-01-13 · Central Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Event narrative

Blizzard conditions severely impacted travel on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge. A Skywarn Spotter reported 6 inches of snow and a 1/4 mile visibility in Hood River in the late afternoon on Jan 13. Wind gusts of 75 mph with sustained winds of 35 to 50 mph were observed along the Columbia River Gorge.

Wider weather episode

A very strong arctic front moved across Western Washington and Oregon on the 12th and 13th dropping temperatures below freezing. With cold air in the lowlands, all precipitation fell as freezing rain for areas along the coast, valleys in the Coast Range, and Willamette Valley northward into southwest Washington. This caused significant impacts, especially around Springfield which received well over an inch of ice accumulation. Strong east winds in the Portland metro area resulted in significant tree damage and power outages. There were injuries and fatalities during this event due to cold exposure, falling trees and electrocution from fallen power lines. The State of Oregon estimated economic loss to businesses of $165 million due to winter weather for the month of January. While this was for the entire state, most of the impacts were in northwest Oregon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1165453. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.