Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 4 to 8, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 4 to 8, 2003
Start: 2003-03-04T18:00
End: 2003-03-08T10:00
Location: Oregon

March 4 to 8, 2003 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A series of strong, wet Pacific frontal systems with low snow levels deposited copious amounts of new snow on the North Oregon Cascades. Total new snow fall accumulations for the 4 days of storms include 63 inches at Timberline Lodge, 53 inches at Mt Hood Meadows, 52 inches at Government Camp and White River, 50 inches at Bennett Pass, and 31 inches at Blue Box Pass, all on Mt Hood, and 41…

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.

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 4, 2:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 2:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 PM PST TUE MAR 4 2003

.SYNOPSIS...WEAK DISTURBANCES IN A NORTHWEST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN
ONSHORE SURFACE FLOW THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT FOR MOSTLY CLOUDY
CONDITIONS AND AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE. THE FIRST IN A SERIES
OF STRONGER COOL SYSTEMS FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL BEGIN IMPACTING THE
AREA LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD
WITH RAIN AND SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAIN SNOW EXPECTED.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND SURFACE
OBSERVATIONS CONTINUED TO SHOW AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE OVER
THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. MODELS SAY THIS WILL CONTINUE
TONIGHT AS ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE DROPS DOWN OVER OUR AREA EARLY
TONIGHT.

THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE IN A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS THAT
WILL ARRIVE FROM THE NORTHWEST CAN BE SEEN AS A FRONT DROPPING DOWN
THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST NORTH OF QUEEN CHARLOTTES ISLAND THIS
AFTERNOON. MODELS SHOW THIS SYSTEM INCREASING THE PRECIPITATION OVER
OUR AREA LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. 30 TO 40 KT 850 MB FLOW
INITIALLY IS NORTH OF OUR AREA WEDNESDAY MORNING BUT SHIFTS SOUTH
LATER WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUES THROUGH THURSDAY.
AS THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAGS INTO OUR AREA...IT WILL HAVE A MOISTURE
CONNECTION WITH THE SOUTHERN BRANCH SYSTEM OUT NEAR 155W. THE 12Z GFS
WAS TRENDING TOWARD RECENT ETA MODEL RUNS IN NOT LOWERING 500 MB
HEIGHTS AS FAST AND ALLOWING PRECIPITATION TO SPREAD SOUTH AS
QUICKLY...BUT STILL THINK WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY WILL BE THE
PERIOD TO SPREAD PRECIPITATION INTO THE SOUTHERN ZONES. WILL CONTINUE
THE CURRENT CASCADE WINTER STORM WATCH...THOUGH THE LANE COUNTY
CASCADES MAY END UP WITH ONLY A SNOW ADVISORY. MODELS SUPPORT 24 HOUR
1 TO 2 INCH LIQUID AMOUNTS IN THE MOUNTAINS FOR LATE WEDNESDAY INTO
FRIDAY.

SEAS REMAIN NEAR 10 FT AND WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT...RISING LATE
WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...REACHING TO ABOUT 18 FEET THURSDAY.
SMALL CRAFT WINDS LIKELY BY WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING FOR AWHILE.

.LONG TERM...THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS NORTH AS A WARM FRONT
LATE FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY THE OFFSHORE LOW COMING
ONSHORE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. DIFFERENCES IN THE LONGER
RANGE MODELS ON HOW BOTTLED UP THE COLD AIR TO THE NORTH WILL
BE...ESPECIALLY WIDE SPREAD ON THE GFS ENSEMBLES...BUT FOR NOW
BELIEVE THE COLDEST AIR WILL PROBABLY STAY NORTH DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF
PERSISTENT SOUTHERN BRANCH FLOW. TOLLESON

AST 799999  PDX 688888  SLE 688888 EUG 578888

.PQR...WINTER STORM WATCH NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES AND SOUTH
        WASHINGTON CASCADES FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY.
       SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE FOR HAZARDOUS
        SEAS.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 4, 6:30 AM PST, 11 hours 30 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-051430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST TUE MAR 4 2003

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

A SERIES OF COOL WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE OVER THE FORECAST
AREA WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY IN A WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.
THESE SYSTEMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GIVE US SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW IN
THE CASCADES. PLEASE REFER TO THE WINTER STORM OUTLOOK (SPSPQR) FOR
DETAILS ON THESE STORMS.

.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: March 4, 6:00 PM PST to March 8, 10:00 AM 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, March 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: 5344739.