Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 20 to 21, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 20 to 21, 2003
Start: 2003-02-20T08:00
End: 2003-02-21T14:00
Location: Oregon

February 20 to 21, 2003 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Another strong Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the Mt Hood area before rising freezing levels resulted in the snow turning to rain. while Mt Hood Meadows only reported 8 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.

Another strong Pacific storm brought heavy snow to the Mt Hood area before rising freezing levels resulted in the snow turning to rain. Timberline Lodge reported 20 inches of new snow...while Mt Hood Meadows only reported 8 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 Feb 20, 2:30 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 2:30 AM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 AM PST THU FEB 20 2003

.SYNOPSIS...THE NEXT PAC FRONT SPREADS OVERRUNNING MOISTURE INTO THE
FORECAST AREA TODAY ESPECIALLY NORTHERN SECTIONS. THE MAIN COLD FRONT
PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA FRI. A COOLER NORTHWEST FLOW BRINGS SHOWERS
TO THE AREA FRI NIGHT DECREASING ON SAT.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...FAIRLY STRONG WESTERLY PAC FLOW PUSHING INTO THE AREA
TODAY THROUGH FRI. NEXT DISTURBANCE SPREADS OVERRUNNING MOISTURE INTO
AREA TODAY...GIVING SOME RAIN SHADOW EFFECT IN THE VALLEYS EAST OF
COAST MOUNTAINS THOUGH STILL WILL BE SOME LIGHT RAIN. MODELS SHOW THE
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM OVER WA. WILL GO WITH A HEFTY
SNOW ADVISORY WA CASCADES AS STRONG WESTERLY OROGRAPHIC FLOW APPEARS
MITIGATED BY RISING SNOW LEVELS AND RELATIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF
HEAVIER QPF. ALSO A LESSER SNOW ADVISORY FOR OREGON CASCADE PORTION
BEGINNING LATER TODAY BUT MAINLY ABOVE PASSES. A BREAK IN SYSTEMS
TONIGHT BUT THE WESTERLY FLOW CONTINUES MOISTURE ESPECIALLY COAST AND
MOUNTAINS. MOISTURE FROM SOUTHERN BRANCH PHASES WITH COOLER NORTHERN
BRANCH LATE TONIGHT AND FRI FOR ANOTHER GOOD SHOT OF PRECIPITATION.
THE FRONT PUSHES WELL E OF THE AREA FRI AFTERNOON BUT SHOWERS
EXPECTED IN CYCLONIC ONSHORE FLOW. NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND SYSTEM
LOWERS SNOW LEVELS WITH SHOWERS CONTINUING FRI NIGHT DECREASING SAT.

.LONG TERM...MODELS SHOWING GENERAL PATTERN OF EASTERN PAC RIDGING
WITH NORTHWEST FLOW OVER PAC NORTHWEST. HOWEVER SMALLER SCALE
DISTURBANCES SHOWING UP NEAR THE COAST WHICH ARE GENERALLY BELOW
MODEL RESOLUTIONS AND WILL NOT BE FORECAST ACCURATELY. FOR NOW WILL
MAINTAIN THE DRY FORECAST UNTIL ANY RAIN THREAT BECOMES MORE OBVIOUS.
WILLIS

AST +++73  PDX 89+73  SLE 89+73  EUG 69+73

.PQR...SNOW ADVISORY CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRI.
      .SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 20, 6:00 AM PST, 2 hours before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-211400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
600 AM PST THU FEB 20 2003

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A PACIFIC FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SNOW ADVISORY AMOUNTS IN THE
SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON CASCADES TODAY AND TONIGHT.

* SNOW ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS46 KPQR - WSWPQR FOR DETAILS *

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

ANOTHER PACIFIC FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SNOW ADVISORY AMOUNTS
IN THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON CASCADES FRIDAY.

* SNOW ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS46 KPQR - WSWPQR FOR DETAILS *

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO SKYWARN PROCEDURES.

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Oregon Cascades

When: February 20, 8:00 AM PST to February 21, 2:00 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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, February 2003

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: 5340248.