Blizzard in Central Columbia River Gorge, Washington

Blizzard conditions severely impacted travel WA SR-14 through the Gorge. East winds gusted as high as 75 mph at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge. The winds resulted in downed trees/powerlines and power outages.

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. Strong east winds in the Vancouver metro area resulted in significant tree damage and power outages. There were injuries during this event due to cold exposure, falling trees and fallen power lines.