Cold/Wind Chill, Southwest Interior
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Southwest Interior forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold in Washington, December 18 to 24, 1998
An extensive arctic airmass spread over the entire Pacific Northwest the week before Christmas. Temperatures fell sharply beginning December 18 and were coldest around the Winter Solstice December 21.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- 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 PQR wrote it up.
An extensive arctic airmass spread over the entire Pacific Northwest the week before Christmas. Temperatures fell sharply beginning December 18 and were coldest around the Winter Solstice December 21. High temperatures were only in the teens and 20s then. The lowest temperatures in Southwest Washington were in the Cascades, where overnight lows fell into the teens below zero. Light snow, less than one inch amounts, fell on the 19th and 21st, causing widespread traffic problems. Numerous accidents on Interstate 5 near the Oregon/Washington border during rush hour on the 21st caused a massive traffic jam. Plumbers were kept busy repairing frozen and burst water pipes.
Event by event
7 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, South Coast
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- South Coast forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold/Wind Chill, Lower Columbia
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Lower Columbia forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold/Wind Chill, West Slopes Southern Cascades and Passes
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 12:00 AM PST
- Where
- West Slopes Southern Cascades and Passes forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold/Wind Chill, Vancouver Area
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Vancouver Area forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cascade Foothills
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Southern Cascade Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
Cold/Wind Chill, West Columbia River Gorge
- When
- December 18, 12:00 AM PST to December 24, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- West Columbia River Gorge forecast zone
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Colorado, December 18 to 24, 1998
- Dense Fog in California, December 18, 1998
- Winter Storm in Oregon, December 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 18, 1998
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 18, 1998
- Cold in Montana, December 18 to 24, 1998
- Cold in Oregon, December 18 to 24, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 18 to 19, 1998
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, December 18 to 19, 1998
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 18, 1998
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 18, 1998
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, December 18, 1998
More
Every storm in Washington in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, December 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: 5677684, 5677685, 5677686, 5677687, 5677688, 5677689, 5677690.