Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 19 to 20, 2002

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 19 to 20, 2002
Start: 2002-01-19T22:00
End: 2002-01-20T19:00
Location: Oregon

January 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS PDT · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A winter storm brought heavy snow to Northeast Oregon. Tollgate, at an elevation of 5100 feet, received 12 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 brought heavy snow to Northeast Oregon. Tollgate, at an elevation of 5100 feet, received 12 inches. Granite reported over 10 inches at an elevation of 4800 feet. Twelve inches were reported at North Powder, at an elevation of 3250 feet. Strong winds also played a role in the Grande Ronde Valley, causing blowing and drifting snow.

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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 19, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 19, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
830 PM PST SAT JAN 19 2002

WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL INCREASE OVER THE REGION TONIGHT AS THE NEXT
DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA.  AS A
RESULT...HIGH ELEVATION SNOW WILL SPREAD EAST OVERNIGHT WITH RAIN
ELSEWHERE. WITH AN ALMOST NEVER ENDING SUPPLY OF MOISTURE...PERIODS
OF HEAVY SNOW WILL BEGIN TONIGHT OVER THE EAST SLOPES OF THE
WASHINGTON CASCADES AND ARRIVE OVER THE BLUE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY
MORNING.  BY STORMS END...SEVERAL FEET OF NEW SNOW IS POSSIBLE OVER
THE WARNED AREAS.  A TRAIN OF DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
THROUGH STRONG ZONAL FLOW SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH VERY LITTLE
BREAK BETWEEN EACH SYSTEM.  THIS WILL KEEP THE WEATHER UNSETTLED
THROUGH THE SHORT-TERM.  PRESSURE GRADIENTS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
WILL REMAIN RATHER TIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING SO EXPECT WINDY
CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL OVER THE COLUMBIA BASIN.  ABOVE SCENARIO IS
HANDLED WELL IN ONGOING FORECAST PACKAGE AND WILL ONLY REMOVE
EVENING WORDING ON THIS UPDATE.  EARLE

PDT 2343  ALW 2343  PSC 1332  YKM 2332

.KPDT...WSR-88D...VCP21/CSR21...OPERATIONAL.

.KPDT...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR THE
        SOUTHERN WASHINGTON CASCADES EAST SLOPES ZONE.
     ...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY FOR
        THE BLUE MOUNTAINS...OCHOCO MOUNTAINS AND THE JOHN DAY
        HIGHLANDS ZONES.
     ...SNOW ADVISORY FOR SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY FOR THE GRANDE
        RONDE VALLEY AND WALLOWA COUNTY ABOVE 3500 FEET.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Blue Mountains

When: January 19, 10:00 PM PST to January 20, 5:30 PM PST
Where: Blue Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Ochoco-John Day Highlands

When: January 19, 10:00 PM PST to January 20, 5:30 PM PST
Where: Ochoco-John Day Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Grand Ronde Valley

When: January 19, 10:00 PM PST to January 20, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Grand Ronde Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.310, -118.009 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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, January 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: 5277482, 5277483, 5277484.