Winter Storm — East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington

1998-12-25 · East Slopes Southern Cascades, Washington

Wider weather episode

A Christmas Day storm brought a combination of snow and freezing rain to Central and Southeast Washington. Up to four inches of snow fell in the higher elevations of Yakima and Kittitas counties and thirteen inches fell in the mountains of southeast Washington. Freezing rain and sleet fell across the lower elevations and caused treacherous driving conditions. In Yakima county alone, state troopers responded to more than 80 traffic accidents. Most did not involve serious injuries. In southeast Yakima county, one tractor trailer rolled over and blocked an off-ramp for several hours. Another jackknifed truck blocked traffic for more than a mile. Strong wind with this storm apparently caused a power outage for about two hours in western Klickitat County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5675389. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.