Oregon, 2002

Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 7 to 8, 2002

March 7 to 8, 2002 · NWS PQR · 10 events in 9 counties and zones

A late season winter storm blanketed Northwest Oregon with heavy snow. Storm snowfall totals In the Cascades include: Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood and Willamette Pass 11 inches, Mt Hood Meadows 10 inches, and Santiam Pass and Bennett Pass 7 inches.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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.

A late season winter storm blanketed Northwest Oregon with heavy snow. Storm snowfall totals In the Cascades include: Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood and Willamette Pass 11 inches, Mt Hood Meadows 10 inches, and Santiam Pass and Bennett Pass 7 inches. Along the coast, Nehalem reported 4 inches, Tillamook 3 inches, Astoria 2 inches and Lincoln City 1 to 2 inches. In the Coastal Mountains, Wilson River Summit had 5 inches, and Sunset Summit 3 inches. Three inches fell at Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge. In the Willamette Valley, 1 to 2 inches was reported in Colton, Clarkes and Council Crest, along with 3 inches in Corvallis. Along the Lower Columbia River, both Clatskanie and Rainier reported an inch.

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 Mar 6, 8:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 8:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
830 PM PST WED MAR 6 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE TO THE COAST LATE TONIGHT
AND THEN THROUGH SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON DURING THE
DAY THURSDAY. THIS WILL DROP SNOW LEVELS TO NEAR THE VALLEY FLOOR.
ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP SHOWERS IN THE AREAS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY
...BUT WITH RISING SNOW LEVELS FRIDAY. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL REMAIN
OFFSHORE UNTIL LATE ON SATURDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHORTWAVE NEAR 130 WEST
WITH A LITTLE DARKENING BEHIND AND SOME CLOUD COOLING AHEAD THIS
EVENING. MODELS CONSISTENT IN BRINGING THIS TO THE COAST EARLY
THURSDAY IN COLD AIRMASS. ALREADY ONE REPORT OF SNOW THIS EVENING
NEAR THE 750 FOOT LEVEL. WILL CONTINUE THE SNOW ADVISORIES FOR
THURSDAY. WITH THE SHORTWAVE TO THE EAST...ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP
SHOWERS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. BUILDING RIDGE FRIDAY WITH
MODERATING AIR MASS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE ZONES.

.LONG TERM...NO CHANGE. STARMER.

AST 798655 PDX 798643 SLE 798643 EUG 898643

.PQR...SNOW ADVISORY THURSDAY ALL ZONES EXCEPT CENTRAL COAST.
       SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY COASTAL WATERS.

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Central Coast Range of W Oregon

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Central Coast Range of W Oregon forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Central Oregon Coast

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Central Willamette Valley

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Central Willamette Valley forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Coast Range of Nw Oregon

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Coast Range of Nw Oregon forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Lower Columbia

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Lower Columbia forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, North Oregon Cascades Foothills

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
North Oregon Cascades Foothills forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Cascades

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Oregon Cascades forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Coast

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Oregon Coast forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Western Columbia River Gorge

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Western Columbia River Gorge forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Central Coast Range of W Oregon

When
March 7, 1:00 AM PST to March 8, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Central Coast Range of W Oregon 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

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, March 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: 5286183, 5286184, 5286185, 5286186, 5286187, 5286188, 5286189, 5286190, 5286191, 5286192.