Ice Storm — Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

2017-01-17 · Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

Event narrative

Most of the Vancouver area saw less than 0.33 inches of ice, however the eastern portions of the Vancouver/Clark County area near the Columbia Gorge saw up to an inch of ice, with 0.65 inches reported at the Portland Airport and 1 inch reported at Troutdale.

Wider weather episode

An approaching low pressure system brought rain across the Columbia River Gorge, while cold air was trapped at the surface and was slow to clear out. This brought a tremendous amount of freezing rain to the Columbia Gorge, closing I-84 and SR-14 to travel through the Gorge. Freezing rain was observed as far west as the Vancouver Airport, impacting the east side of the Vancouver Metro as well, mainly near the Columbia River.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 678238. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.