Heavy Snow — Central Coast Range of W Oregon, Oregon

2017-03-05 to 2017-03-06 · Central Coast Range of W Oregon, Oregon

Event narrative

The Benton County Emergency Manager reported snowfall rates above 650 feet of 2 inches per hour. By 6:22 pm, Highway 34 was impassable at the summit. A CoCoRaHS observer 7 miles NNW of Philomath recorded 5.9 inches of snow.

Wider weather episode

Two prominent shortwaves brought an early March low-elevation snow event to much of the area except the lowest elevations along the Coast and in the Willamette Valley. Snow levels dropped to 400 to 1000 ft and remained in this range through the end of this event. Higher elevations got the brunt of this event, with locations in the Oregon Cascades getting up to 2-3 feet of snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 689211. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.