Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 9 to 10, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 9 to 10, 2002
Start: 2002-12-09T06:00
End: 2002-12-10T18:00
Location: Oregon

December 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Timberline received 8 inches, Santiam Pass 7 inches, Tombstone and Mt Hood Meadows both 6 inches.

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.

Timberline received 8 inches, Santiam Pass 7 inches, Tombstone and Mt Hood Meadows both 6 inches.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 9, 2:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 2:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 AM PST MON DEC 9 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A WEAKENING PAC FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN TO THE
FORECAST AREA TODAY. THIS WILL OPEN THE GATE FOR A PARADE OF STRONGER
FRONTAL SYSTEMS...WITH THE NEXT ONE MOVING INLAND TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY
A CLOSE SEQUENCE OF PAC FRONTS INTO THE EXTENDED PERIOD. GUSTY
SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AT TIMES AS COLD FRONTS
APPROACH...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE COAST.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN APPROACHING FRONTAL
SYSTEM STRETCHING OFFSHORE WITH THE STRONGER PORTIONS MOVING TOWARD
CALIF AND TO THE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE SPLITTING WEAKER
PART OF THE FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TODAY WITH
THICKENING CLOUDS AND AREAS LIGHT RAIN. FOG IN THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL
WILLAMETTE VALLEY SHOULD THIN AS THE FRONT APPROACHES.

A STRONGER FRONT WILL SPREAD INCREASING PRECIPITATION INLAND LATE
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL TO THE PASSES WITH THIS
WEATHER SYSTEM AND RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO
PRODUCE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW LATE TONIGHT AND THEN 6 TO 9 INCHES
ON TUESDAY...FOR A SNOW ADVISORY THEN. DIRTY RIDGING DEVELOPS WED
WITH SNOW LEVELS RISING UNDER WARM ADVECTION.

THE FIRST COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS COASTAL WATERS TOWARD THE COAST
THIS MORNING APPEARS WEAK WITH WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS EXPECTED
TO BE IN THE SMALL CRAFT RANGE...SUCCESSIVE FRONTS WILL BE
PROGRESSIVELY STRONGER WITH GALE WINDS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY. THEN
STRONGER GALES POSSIBLE WITH FRONTS PARADING INLAND LATER IN THE
WEEK.

.LONG TERM...A MUCH STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM IS INDICATED MOVING
INLAND FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THAT FRONT WILL INTENSIFY UNDER DIFLUENT
FLOW ALOFT AS THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A FAIRLY STRONG JET SEGMENT
MOVES ACROSS THE COAST...A PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WITH UNSETTLED WEATHER
WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. WILLSON

AST 79968  PDX 58957  SLE 58957  EUG 58957

.PQR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
      .SNOW ADVISORY...FOR THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON
        CASCADES TUESDAY.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 8, 6:30 AM PST, 23 hours 30 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-091430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST SUN DEC 8 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND
NORTHWEST OREGON.

.DAY ONE...

DENSE FOG ADVISORY SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY THIS MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. A RETURN TO MORE
NORMAL LIKE DECEMBER WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE COMING WEEK. GALE
FORCE WINDS MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE COAST AND OVER THE COASTAL WATERS
MONDAY NIGHT TUESDAY WEDNESDAY...AND AGAIN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SHOULD UNEXPECTED CONDITIONS ARISE SPOTTERS SHOULD CALL IN AS PER
THEIR SPOTTER CALL IN CRITERIA.

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Cascades

When: December 9, 6:00 AM PST to December 10, 6:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Cascades forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, December 2002

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: 5325526.