Heavy Snow — North Oregon Cascades Foothills, Oregon

2020-01-13 · North Oregon Cascades Foothills, Oregon

Event narrative

The Lyons (CoCoRaHS) had two stations report 6 inches of snow over a 12 hour period. Station OR-LN-20 had good detail in their report as well. Stations up by Zigzag were close, but generally in the 3-5 range.

Wider weather episode

A broad upper level trough resided over much of the western United States and Canada, with a baroclinic zone and strong jet stream pointed towards southern Oregon and the Great Basin. The strong jet combined with strong surface onshore flow and steep lapse rates maintined snow showers over the region. This created the necessary conditions for a a heavy snow event at elevations above 2000 feet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 873431. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.