Oregon, 2002

Ice Storm in Oregon, January 2, 2002

January 2, 2002 · NWS PDT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Cold air was in place along the Oregon Cascades and the Foothills of the Blue Mountains. An approaching warm front brought rain, but as it fell through the cold air, ice built up on tree limbs and road surfaces.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Cold air was in place along the Oregon Cascades and the Foothills of the Blue Mountains. An approaching warm front brought rain, but as it fell through the cold air, ice built up on tree limbs and road surfaces. This ice storm left 1/4 to 1/2 inch accumulation, bringing down several power lines and cancelling school in the cities of Condon and Moro.

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 1, 8:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 8:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
830 PM PST TUE JAN 1 2002

BANDS OF LIGHT RAIN WITH A LITTLE SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN MIXED IN
CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS OREGON AND INTO WASHINGTON
TONIGHT. THE UPPER TROUGH REMAINS OFF THE WEST COAST AND A
DISTURBANCE IS MOVING NORTH ALONG THE COAST...WITH THE WARM FRONT
PUSHING INTO OREGON. THE WARM AIR ADVECTION PRECIPITATION WILL
CONTINUE OVER THE REGION TONIGHT WITH THE MIXED PRECIPITATION
EXPECTED TO CHANGE TO ALL RAIN BY MIDNIGHT.  ISOLATED POCKETS OF
COLDER AIR REMAIN ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS...BUT
DONT THINK SIGNIFICANT FREEZING RAIN TO OCCUR BEFORE CHANGING TO
RAIN. IN THE MOUNTAINS SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE WELL ABOVE PASS LEVELS
AND SNOW WILL FALL ONLY OVER THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.  STRONG WINDS
CONTINUE IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY AS GRADIENT BETWEEN MEACHAM AND
ONTARIO IS ABOUT 7.5 MB.  THIS REMAINS JUST UNDER THE ADVISORY
CRITERIA. WILL ALLOW CURRENT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO EXPIRE AT
07Z AND UPDATE ZONES TO REFLECT CURRENT CONDITIONS. LOHMANN

PDT 8763  ALW 8763  PSC 9753  YKM 9742

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

.KPDT...NONE.

Event by event

2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, North Central Oregon

When
January 2, 1:00 AM PST to 6:00 AM PST
Where
North Central Oregon forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT

Ice Storm, Foothills of the Blue Mountains

When
January 2, 3:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
Foothills of the Blue Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5277487, 5277488.