Central Willamette Valley storm history

Around one-half inch of ice accumulated in the Salem area on the 16th with up to 1 inch reported by the Public. This resulted in power outages, travel disruptions, injuries due to slip and fall. Also the persistent freezing temperatures over several days resulted in a suspected h…

Dense Fog in the Central Willamette Valley contributed to deadly aircraft accident. A single engine airplane travelling from McMinnville to Independence crashed around 4:55 PM into a power pole just outside of the Independence Airport. The crash resulted in a local power outage, …

Four suspected heat related deaths occurred in Marion county.

A 22-year-old California man drowned at Scotts Mill City Park in Marion County Wednesday, August 11th. Deputies say children were swimming in the water at the base of the falls around 3 p.m. when they spotted what appeared to be a man underneath the water. Clackamas County Sherif…

Temperatures across the area warmed into the 100s to mid 110s over a three day period. Record breaking temperatures up to 117 degrees were recorded in Salem, OR. A total of 18 heat related deaths were reported, including two middle aged men who drowned in the Willamette River on …

Temperatures across the area reached into the upper 90s and low 100s. This lead to many people seeking locations to cool off. As a result, a person died Monday August 17 after jumping into the Clackamas River in Estacada, Oregon.

Temperatures across the area reached into the upper 90s and low 100s. This lead to many people seeking locations to cool off. A middle-aged woman drowned on the Pudding River near South Arndt Road west of Canby, Oregon on Sunday, August 16.

A man swimming across the Willamette River from Yamhill County to Marion County near the Wheatland Ferry drowned. It had been hot the previous several days, and though temperatures were a bit cooler on the 18th with highs only in the upper 80s, it's believed that the heat over th…

The record-breaking heat led people to seek relief at local rivers. One child drowned (indirect) while swimming in the Willamette River near the Wallace Marine Park.

Temperatures of 95 to 100 in early June lead to people seeking relief at local rivers. Two river drownings were reported in the Central Willamette Valley during this hot spell.

Afternoon temperatures were in the low to mid 90s which is around 20 degrees above normal. Nighttime temperatures were in the mid 60s to low 70s which is around 15 degrees above normal. There were several new daily records set for the warmest low temperatures. A man drowned while…

During unseasonably high temperatures of 90+ degrees and after a record breaking warm day the day before, a man died during a Salem Bike Club ride. No one was with the man when he collapsed, but help was called for when he was found. Emergency workers could not revive him. The Ya…

Cold air over the area resulting from a recent frontal passage left wet roads susceptible to ice formation overnight. A collision occurred in the morning hours near Salem and was attributed to icy road conditions, which resulted in one indirect fatality. The accident occurred aft…

This was mostly an ice event for the Central Willamette Valley as a major ice storm occurred from freezing rain. By the end of the event, there were many reports of over 1 inch of ice accumulation, with as much as 1.75 inch reported in Sheridan. This was a crippling ice storm for…

McMinnville Airport ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 48 mph. Public reported multiple trees down south of Dayton, and a tree down west of Carlton.

Ten to 20 inches of snow fell across the central Willamette Valley. Some reports include 10 inches in McMinnville, 17 inches in Dundee and 20 inches in Lafayette. Freezing rain also occurred during this storm, which produced 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accumulation. This snowfall comb…

Accumulations of snow and ice varied considerably. Combined with the mixed precipitation were strong wind gusts of up to 50 mph and temperatures in the teens and twenties.

The Liberty Fire started around 1350 PM PST August 23, 2023. About 600 people were evacuated and two homes were reported as damaged or destroyed. The fire was contained around 1815 PST August 23rd. Observed wind speeds at the Salem ASOS, not too far to the north of the fire, were…

Snow began falling around 2100 PST with significant accumulations around 0700 PST on the 28th, then tapering off around 1030 PST on the 28th. A total of 1 to 4 inches fell.

Downtown Salem only had 1 inch of snow, but the suburbs received 2 to 6 inches of snow.

Widespread gusts of 40 to 55 mph throughout the central Willamette Valley. Gusts came and went through the period, with most of the damage occurring around 1200 PST on the 27th. Many trees were uprooted, snapped, or had broken limbs due to the winds. PGE and Pacific Power combine…

Mainly an ice storm, with a CoCoRaHS report of 0.3 inch in Salem and up to 0.5 inch ice near McMinnville.

The Vitae Springs Fire started in South Salem Friday evening and was fully contained by late Saturday morning. The estimated burned area is around 165 acres, mostly in dense brush and wooded areas, including in steep terrain. Approximately 119 single-family homes were in the Leve…

High temperatures on the 17th were in the mid to upper 90s. For example, the high temperature at McNary Field in Salem (KSLE) was 95 degrees. Mesonet stations in the area had high temperatures in the upper 90s. Overnight temperatures were quite warm with lows in the 60s.

High temperatures were generally in the mid 90s to around 100 degrees. McNary Field (KSLE) had a high of 100 degrees.

Spotter reported Maple tree blown down in neighborhood about 2 miles east of Salem Airport. The ASOS at Salem Airport (KSLE) reported a gust to 41 mph around that time.

Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 4 to 8 inches of snowfall were reported.

Measured wind gusts up to 60 mph. Power outages due to downed trees and branches.

Wind damage to trees and roof shingles on home in Mount Angel. Wind speed estimated from Scotts Mills (EW6204) mesonet station.

On July 29th, the high temperature at the KSLE ASOS reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in the area peaked in the mid and upper 90s.

Weather spotter reported a gust to 54 mph which ripped a louvre door off it's hinge. The spotter believes it was a tornado, but atmospheric conditions at the time do not seem to support that idea.

Widespread light snow fell during the day as a front moved through the area. General amounts were 1 to 2 inches with local snow amounts of 3 inches. The snow ended in the evening.

Tree fell onto police vehicle near South Highway 170 and South Barnards Road. Wind gust estimated from Aurora Airport (KUAO) observation.

The Salem Airport ASOS recorded wind gusts up to 54 mph. 6500 people lost power during the peak of this storm, as several power lines went down in south Salem, Stayton, Dallas, and Independence.

A large oak tree fell on a house 2 miles NW of McMinnville. The McMinnville ASOS recorded wind gusts up to 45 mph. There were several power outages. A section of a fence was blown over 3 miles WNW of Salem.

Salem Airport reported wind gusts up to 45 mph. Across the Portland/Salem area, 5500 people lost power.

A weather station on Chehalem Mountain measured wind gusts up to 73 mph, while the ASOS at the Salem Airport recorded wind gusts up to 60 mph. There were reports of downed trees and power outages around Salem and Keizer.

There were several reports of 3.5 to 4 inches of snow near Dallas and Falls City. Also, a report of 6 inches of snow W of McMinnville.

Snowfall of 1 to 2 inches were reported in the Salem area and up to 11 inches at Chehalem Mountain near Newberg.

Precipitation types were mixed, with generally 1-2 of snow/sleet and around 0.25 of freezing rain.

In Salem there were reports of 3 to 5 inches of snow. There were also numerous reports of vehicles that got stuck and huge traffic jams from the snow.

The area generally had 2 to 4 inches of snow with 0.15 inches of ice accumulation, except Chehalem Mountain had 6 inches of snow.

High winds brought down several trees across the area, blocking roads and bringing down power poles and power lines. Wind also caused a grain silo to collapse near Newberg. In Marion County alone, 6600 people lost power as winds downed four feeder lines through Marion County.

A half to one inch of snow fell followed by 0.10 to 0.15 inch of freezing rain. Slick roads resulted in a lot of traffic accidents and delays.

A weather station at Chehalem Ridge reported sustained winds of 46 mph with a peak gust of 60 mph. There were several reports of downed trees and wires with many roads blocked.

A county official reported that a tree blew onto a home in Mulino near Union Mils Road. A roof was also blown off of an old tool shed. There was also reports of several downed trees in the area with some blocking roads. Soils were extremely saturated from heavy rainfall.

High Temperatures were in the upper 90s to around 105 for the central Willamette Valley. Emergency Preparedness officials opened cooling shelters. A few people were treated for heat related illnesses at medical centers.

High Temperatures were in the mid 90s to near 100, July 1 through July 5th which is around 15 degrees higher than the seasonal normal. The low temperatures were also unseasonably warm.

A spotter in Canby measured a wind gust of 60 mph, and the Salem Airport measured a gust of 58 mph. Several trees were downed in the area with one large tree falling and damaging a house in Yamhill.

Strong winds resulted in several downed trees and power outages. One tree damaged the roof of a home in Dayton. Peak wind gusts for the Aurora and McMinnville Airports measured at 61 mph, and wind a peak wind gust of 71 mph was measured at Chehalem Mountain.