Winter Storm — Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

2020-01-15 to 2020-01-16 · Western Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Event narrative

The amounts of snow and ice varied greatly across the Columbia River Gorge, with heaviest amounts in the Central Columbia River Gorge zone. The combination of snow, ice, and wind resulted in the closure of I-84 between Troutdale and Cascade Locks.

Based on ODOT and spotter reports, 4 to 10 inches fell in the stretch from Corbett to Cascade Locks, followed by a few hours of light freezing rain. Additionally, east winds gusted to 56 mph at Corbett, with higher gusts at Crown Point (although the anemometer was frozen).

Wider weather episode

A 980 mb low located near 45N/130W along with an attendant warm front moved into the southern Oregon Coast and overran a cold airmass originating from the Columbia River Gorge. This resulted in snow that gradually transitioned to freezing rain in the Gorge on Wednesday night into Thursday.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 873246. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.