Winter Storm — Greater Portland Metro Area, Oregon

2008-12-20 to 2008-12-21 · Greater Portland Metro Area, Oregon

Event narrative

Fourteen to 24 inches of snow fell across the northern Willamette Valley. Some reports include 14 inches in Canby, 18 inches in Gladstone, 21 inches in Oregon City and 24 inches in Wilsonville. This storm was the most significant storm to hit the Portland Metro area in the past 40 years. Freezing rain also occurred during this period with 1/4 to 3/4 inch of ice accumulation.

Wider weather episode

The third in a series of an unusually cold storm systems brought heavy snow accumulations to northwest Oregon. The heavy snowfall created a significant impact to many communities across northwest Oregon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 143751. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.