Ice Storm — Northern Oregon Coast, Oregon

1996-02-03 to 1996-02-05 · Northern Oregon Coast, Oregon

Wider weather episode

A warm front overiding cold air trapped in western Oregon valleys and the Columbia Gorge produced an ice storm causing widespread disruption of traffic and power outages in the Willamette Valley and Coast Range valleys. Freezing rain began over the Willamette Valley during the afternoon of February 3 and continued throughout the night and into the next day. Numerous traffic accidents were reported including a 100 car minor damage pileup near Salem. One fatality occurred when a car lost control on the ice, slid off the road and flipped over near Lincoln City. By the afternoon of February 4th, warm air behind the front had ended the icy conditions south of the Portland area, however continued cold air flowing through the Columbia Gorge kept the extreme Northern Willamette Valley glazed with ice until the afternoon of February 5th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5558024. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.