Heavy Snow, Greater Portland Metro Area
- When
- January 20, 6:00 AM PST to January 21, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Greater Portland Metro Area forecast zone
Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 20 to 21, 1996
A very moist Pacific storm spread major accumulations of snow to the Cascades, the mountains of eastern Oregon and the high plateau of central Oregon. 28 inches fell at Willamette Pass, 22 inches at Santiam Pass, 21 inches at Government Camp, and 12 inches at Crater Lake.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
A very moist Pacific storm spread major accumulations of snow to the Cascades, the mountains of eastern Oregon and the high plateau of central Oregon. 28 inches fell at Willamette Pass, 22 inches at Santiam Pass, 21 inches at Government Camp, and 12 inches at Crater Lake. In the Eastern Mountains, 12 inches fell at Meacham, 9 inches at Tollgate and 6 inches at Spout Springs. Over the central plateau 8 inches fell at LaPine and 6 inches at Chemult.
Event by event
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Southern Willamette Valley
- When
- January 20, 6:00 AM PST to January 21, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Southern Willamette Valley forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Western Columbia River Gorge
- When
- January 20, 6:00 AM PST to January 21, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Western Columbia River Gorge forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Cascades
- When
- January 20, 6:00 AM PST to January 21, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Northern Oregon Cascades forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Cascades in Lane County
- When
- January 20, 6:00 AM PST to January 21, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Cascades in Lane County forecast zone
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood in District of Columbia, January 20 to 23, 1996
- Flooding in Ohio, January 20 to 22, 1996
- Flooding in West Virginia, January 20 to 22, 1996
- Flooding in Kentucky, January 20 to 23, 1996
- Flood in Maryland, January 20 to 22, 1996
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, January 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, January 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, January 20 to 21, 1996
More
Every storm in Oregon in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 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: 5560841, 5560842, 5560843, 5560844, 5560845.