Ice Storm, Central Coast Range of W Oregon
- When
- December 28, 8:00 PM PST to December 29, 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Central Coast Range of W Oregon forecast zone
Ice Storm in Oregon, December 28 to 29, 1996
Cold air funnelling through the Columbia River Gorge with overriding warm, moist air over the Willamette Valley caused a prolonged period of freezing rain over the Portland metropolitan area. The resulting ice accumulation casued widespread power failures and disruption of traffic by downed trees.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.
Cold air funnelling through the Columbia River Gorge with overriding warm, moist air over the Willamette Valley caused a prolonged period of freezing rain over the Portland metropolitan area. The resulting ice accumulation casued widespread power failures and disruption of traffic by downed trees. Light accumulations of snow were reported in the city's West Hills area.
Event by event
1 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Washington, December 28 to 30, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, December 28 to 29, 1996
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 28, 1996
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 28 to 29, 1996
- Winter Storm in Idaho, December 28 to 29, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, December 28 to 29, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, December 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 28, 1996
More
Every storm in Oregon in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575761.