Winter Weather — Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

2017-12-24 to 2017-12-25 · Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

Event narrative

A mix of spotters and local public reported 1 to 3 inches of snow around the Vancouver area, with highest amounts north around Ridgefield. The Vancouver ASOS also observed a changeover to freezing rain, and amounts were probably similar to ice observed at the Portland Airport ASOS, which was 0.20 inch.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure system moving into the Pacific Northwest pulled cold air from the Columbia Basin west of the Cascades, through the Columbia River Gorge. As this system started to bring moisture and precipitation into SW Washington, temperatures were around or below freezing, allowing for a mix of snow and ice to fall all the way to sea level around the Vancouver Metro, Lower Columbia River Valley, and in the Columbia River Gorge.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 732748. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.