Heavy Snow in Oregon, November 8 to 10, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Oregon, November 8 to 10, 2002
Start: 2002-11-08T12:00
End: 2002-11-10T12:00
Location: Oregon

November 8 to 10, 2002 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Post-frontal cold air brought heavy snows to the Northern Oregon Cascades. Timberline received 22 inches, Mt.

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.

Post-frontal cold air brought heavy snows to the Northern Oregon Cascades. Timberline received 22 inches, Mt. Hood Meadows 19 inches, Santiam Pass 15 inches, Mt. Bachelor 16 inches and Willamette Pass 12 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 Nov 8, 8:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 8, 8:30 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
830 AM PST FRI NOV 8 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A LARGE LOW IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL MOVE SLOWLY
NORTHEAST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH AN EXTENSIVE POOL OF COLD AIR
ROTATING AROUND IT GIVING FREQUENT SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST AREA. THE
STRONG WESTERLY JET STREAM SHOULD LIFT BACK INTO OREGON SUNDAY FOR
STEADIER RAIN.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...SHOWERS TO DOMINATE THE AREA THROUGH SAT NIGHT AS THE
FORECAST AREA REMAINS ON THE COOL SIDE OF THE JET POINTED INTO
NORTHERN CA. OCCASIONAL WAVES IN THE FLOW WILL YIELD MORE ORGANIZED
SHOWER BANDS AT TIMES. SNOW LEVELS WILL SLOWLY DROP TO 4500 FEET BY
TONIGHT...WILL CONTINUE SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE THROUGH SAT NIGHT.

PRESENT MODELS SHOW JET STREAM AND ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BAND LIFTING
BACK INTO OREGON SUN...AND COMBINED WITH FAIRLY STRONG WAVE SHOULD
HAVE STEADIER RAIN MOVING INTO AREA.

.LONG TERM...MODELS CONSISTENT SHOWING A WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTHEAST
THROUGH THE AREA LATER MON...THEN MODELS BEGIN DISAGREEING AS TO
TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT. EXPECT IT WILL MOVE THROUGH IN THE TUE INTO
EARLY WED TIME FRAME. CURRENT MODELS AGAIN SHOWING DISAGREEMENT AS
TO WHETHER RIDGE WILL MATERIALIZE AND WHAT DAY...LOOKS LIKE THEY
WANT TO BACK IT OFF TO THU NOW. WILL TRY NOT TO WAFFLE THE FORECASTS
TOO MUCH...JUST SHOW A TREND TO LESS PRECIP NEAR THE END OF THE
EXTENDED PERIOD. LIKENS

AST 99999  PDX 88889  SLE 89889  EUG 89989

.PQR...GALE WARNING LATE TONIGHT CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
       HIGH SURF ADVISORY TODAY CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
       SNOW ADVISORY CASCADES TODAY.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 8, 6:30 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

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

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST FRI NOV 8 2002

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

.DAY ONE...

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CASCADES. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS
WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

CASCADE SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO CALL IN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A SERIES OF PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE FORECAST TO AFFECT NORTHWEST
OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THESE SYSTEMS
MAY BRING WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE COAST.

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Cascades

When: November 8, 12:00 PM PST to November 10, 12:00 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, November 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: 5323458.