Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 10 to 11, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 10 to 11, 1998
Start: 1998-01-10T08:00
End: 1998-01-11T16:00
Location: Oregon

January 10 to 11, 1998 · NWS PDT · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A winter storm dumped from 4 inches to 19 inches of snow over central, north central, and northeast Oregon. The snowfall caused area schools to close for up to three days or open late.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 4
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 PDT wrote it up.

A winter storm dumped from 4 inches to 19 inches of snow over central, north central, and northeast Oregon. The snowfall caused area schools to close for up to three days or open late. About 8000 customers in Bend lost power Saturday night (January 10) for over an hour when a car slid out of control and struck a guy wire on a utility pole. There were a few serious accidents with four injuries reported in central Oregon. Two people were injured in a traffic accident in north central Oregon. There were also problems transporting goods and medical products into central Oregon becouse of road and airport closures outside the area. At least 10 traffic accidents, some with minor injuries, were caused by snow covered roads in Umatilla county.

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Columbia River Gorge

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Eastern Columbia River Gorge forecast zone

Heavy Snow, North Central Oregon

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 12:00 PM PST
Where: North Central Oregon forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Columbia Deschutes Plateau

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 1:00 PM PST
Where: Columbia Deschutes Plateau forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Central Oregon

When: January 10, 9:00 AM PST to January 11, 2:00 PM PST
Where: Central Oregon forecast zone
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect

Heavy Snow, Foothills of the Blue Mountains

When: January 10, 10:00 AM PST to January 11, 3:00 PM PST
Where: Foothills of the Blue Mountains forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Lower Columbia Basin

When: January 10, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Northeast Oregon

When: January 10, 12:00 PM PST to January 11, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Northeast Oregon 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

Every storm in Oregon in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, January 1998

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: 5659883, 5659884, 5659885, 5659643, 5659644, 5659886, 5659642.