Heavy Snow — Lower Columbia, Washington

2019-02-08 to 2019-02-09 · Lower Columbia, Washington

Event narrative

Most precipitation at river level fell as rain or a rain/snow mix. Elevations above 500 feet observed much more snow. A trained spotter in Longview, WA at 750 feet reported 7.5 inches of snow. Another trained spotter in Kalama reported 7.5 inches of snow at an elevation of 1350 feet.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system dropped south along the coast from Victoria Island. The low pressure system brought arctic air south out of Canada into SW Washington. This system brought heavy snow to the Willapa Hills, Cascade Foothills, and the Columbia Gorge. It also brought snow down to the Valley floor in the Vancouver Metro area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 808878. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.