An early cold snap hit the Pacific Northwest before moist Pacific air moved in and resulted in one of the earliest snow, sleet, and freezing rain events in northwestern Oregon. Sleet and freezing rain in particular created hazardous commutes for tens of thousands in the western and eastern suburbs of Portland.
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.
The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.
An early cold snap hit the Pacific Northwest before moist Pacific air moved in and resulted in one of the earliest snow, sleet, and freezing rain events in northwestern Oregon. Sleet and freezing rain in particular created hazardous commutes for tens of thousands in the western and eastern suburbs of Portland. Farther south, 1/2 of freezing rain accumulated on trees in the coast range foothills outside of Corvallis and Dallas, Oregon. Upwards of a quarter of an inch of ice fell around Dallas, Oregon. Some snow fell, but accumulations were primarily restricted to the Cascade valleys and the central Columbia River Gorge.
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 11, 3:59 AM PST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
359 AM PST TUE NOV 11 2014
.SYNOPSIS...AN EARLY SEASON ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS MUCH
OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS MORNING...WITH A SHARP TRANSITION TO
A WINTER-LIKE AIR MASS TO FOLLOW. EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS STARTED TO
PICK UP A LITTLE OVERNIGHT...BUT THE WIND WILL BECOME MUCH STRONGER
AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT THIS MORNING. COLD AIR EAST OF
THE CASCADES WILL SUPPORT A STRONG EAST WIND PATTERN THROUGH LATE
WEDNESDAY. A PACIFIC FRONT IS EXPECTED TO OVERRUN THE COLD AIR MASS
WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...WITH WINTRY PRECIPITATION LIKELY IN
THE COLUMBIA GORGE AND HOOD RIVER VALLEY...AND POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO AREA AND NORTH OREGON COAST RANGE. THE
PACIFIC FRONT WILL BRING MILDER AIR TO OUR SOUTHERN ZONES...BUT
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW NORMAL NORTH AND EAST OF
SALEM. A FRONTAL ZONE WILL LINGER WITH OCCASIONAL PRECIPITATION
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
&&
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...A VERY COMPLEX...CHALLENGING
AND MULTI-FACETED FORECAST FOR THE SHORT TERM...AS AUTUMN WEATHER IS
SHARPLY REPLACED BY AN EARLY-SEASON ARCTIC AIR MASS ON THE HEELS OF
STRONG EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS.
LATEST 11Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A SHARP ARCTIC FRONT BEGINNING TO
PUSH UP AGAINST THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES...WITH
GUSTY EAST WINDS AT ELLENSBURG AND WENATCHEE. COLD HIGH PRESSURE IS
BUILDING IN BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE RISES
OCCURRING OVER NORTHEAST WASHINGTON. MEANWHILE...LEE-SIDE TROUGHING
IS DEVELOPING DUE TO DOWNSLOPE WINDS ALONG THE COAST...FURTHER
ENHANCING E-NE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ACROSS SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND
NORTHWEST OREGON.
AS A RESULT...EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS ARE STARTING TO PICK UP ACROSS
THE PORTLAND METRO AREA...BUT REMAIN FAIRLY MODERATE FOR NOW.
STRONGER EAST WINDS ARE OCCURRING THROUGH THE COLUMBIA GORGE AND
CASCADES...MAINLY BETWEEN MOUNT ADAMS AND MOUNT JEFFERSON. GUSTS TO
50 MPH HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED AT A FEW ELEVATED SITES NEAR THE WEST
END OF THE GORGE. PRESSURE GRADIENTS AT THE MOMENT...KTTD-KDLS AT
-6.0 MB AND KOTH-KGEG AT -16.2 MB. BOTH GRADIENTS ARE INCREASING
SHARPLY IN MAGNITUDE AND ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DO SO TODAY.
THE POOL OF COLD AIR SPILLING INTO THE MID-COLUMBIA BASIN IS STARTING
OFF RATHER DEEP...WITH NAM BUFR SOUNDINGS INDICATING INVERSION DEPTHS
OF 5000 FT OR MORE TODAY. THIS WILL ALLOW THE COLD AIR TO SPILL OVER
THE CASCADES BETWEEN MOUNT ADAMS AND MOUNT JEFFERSON...RESULTING IN A
WIDESPREAD E-NE WIND EVENT. WITH THE EASTSIDE COLD AIR EXPECTED TO
REMAIN THIS DEEP THROUGH THIS EVENING...THE GRADIENT TO WATCH WILL
LIKELY BE THE LARGER SCALE NORTH BEND-SPOKANE GRADIENT
(KOTH-KGEG)...RATHER THAN THE TROUTDALE-THE DALLES GRADIENT
(KTTD-KDLS). AT LEAST EARLY ON IN THIS EVENT. THE NAM HAS BEEN FAIRLY
CONSISTENT IN THE PROJECTION OF THIS GRADIENT...INCREASING THE
MAGNITUDE TO AROUND 25 MB LATER THIS MORNING AND MAINTAINING IT
THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY BEFORE IT SLOWLY RELAXES.
BY COMPARISON...A SPOKANE-NORTH BEND GRADIENT OF 20 TO 21 MB RESULTED
IN A DAMAGING DOWNSLOPE EAST WIND EVENT FOR EASTERN CLARK AND
CLACKAMAS COUNTIES IN DEC 2003. THIS EVENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE
STRONGER AND MORE WIDESPREAD...WITH FAIRLY WIDESPREAD GUSTS 45 TO 55
MPH ACROSS THE PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO AND LOCALIZED GUSTS TO 65
MPH. THEREFORE THE HIGH WIND WARNING LOOKS TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE FOR
THE PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO AND NEARBY CASCADE FOOTHILLS. WIND GUSTS
IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE FOR THE NORTH OREGON COAST RANGE
RIDGES...BUT DID NOT QUITE HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO ISSUE A WARNING
THERE. LOOKING AT THE UW WRF-GFS 4 KM TIME-HEIGHT CHARTS FOR ASTORIA
AND TILLAMOOK...THE WINDS JUST ABOVE THE GROUND ARE NOT NEARLY AS
STRONG AS THEY ARE IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY...SO ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE
WINDY ALONG THE COAST...WINDS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW HIGH WIND CRITERIA.
DECIDED TO ADD THE WEST GORGE ZONES AS THESE GRADIENTS SHOULD EASILY
ALLOW FOR SOME GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH...ESPECIALLY AS THE EASTSIDE
COLD POOL BECOMES SHALLOWER WEDNESDAY...CONSTRICTING THE GRADIENT
WIND THROUGH A NARROWER AND NARROWER CHANNEL...THEREFORE ACCELERATING
IT IN A SIMILAR MANNER TO PLACING A THUMB AT THE END OF A GARDEN
HOSE.
THE EAST WINDS WILL EASILY USHER IN THE COLDEST AIR THUS FAR THIS
SEASON...AS EARLY-SEASON ARCTIC AIR SPREADS ACROSS SOUTHWEST
WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON. SINCE IT IS SO EARLY IN THE
SEASON...THIS AIR MASS IS NOT AS COLD AS WOULD BE IN DECEMBER OR
JANUARY...WHEN ARCTIC COLD WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO INCUBATE OVER
NORTHERN CANADA...THE SOURCE REGION OF THIS AIR MASS. THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION...AND WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON
PRECIPITATION TYPE AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM BEGINS TO OVERRUN THE COLD AIR
MASS WITH PACIFIC MOISTURE WED NIGHT/EARLY THU.
IF THIS WERE DECEMBER OR JANUARY...THIS OVERALL PATTERN WOULD BE
NEARLY PERFECT FOR LOWLAND SNOW...WITH LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM
THE SOUTHWEST AND A ROBUST COLD AIR MASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE PAC NW.
HOWEVER...AS MENTIONED ABOVE...THE AIR MASS IS NOT NEARLY AS COLD AS
A DEC/JAN ARCTIC AIR MASS WOULD BE. THEREFORE...FOR SNOW TO OCCUR IN
THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY THERE WILL NEED TO BE SIGNIFICANT WET-BULB
EFFECTS...WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A FAIRLY HEAVY BATCH OF PRECIPITATION
TO MOVE INLAND WED NIGHT/EARLY THU. 00Z/06Z NAM/00Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF
SEEM TO BE HINTING AT THIS OCCURRING...PAINTING SUBSTANTIAL QPF
ACROSS THE REGION DUE TO STRONG FRONTOGENESIS AS PACIFIC AIR RUNS UP
AGAINST THE SLOWLY WEAKENING BUT STILL STRONG ARCTIC AIR MASS IN
PLACE. THE AIR MASS WILL LIKELY START OUT TOO MILD FOR ANY P-TYPE
ISSUES ALONG THE COAST OR SOUTH OF SALEM. BUT GIVEN THE QPF MODELS
ARE SHOWING...AND THE CLASSIC STUBBORNNESS OF COLD AIR...A BRIEF MIX
OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT FOR THE
PORTLAND/VANCOUVER METRO WED NIGHT/EARLY THU...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE
GORGE. THE AIR MASS SHOULD MODERATE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
THURSDAY...CHANGING ANY WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO A COLD RAIN FOR THE
METRO AREA.
THE GORGE AND HOOD RIVER VALLEY WILL BE A DIFFERENT STORY. THERE IS A
BETTER CHANCE COLD AIR WILL HOLD ON LONG ENOUGH FOR SUBSTANTIAL SNOW
AND ICE THURSDAY AND POSSIBLY EARLY FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY CASCADE LOCKS
EASTWARD. JUST HOW MUCH IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT. THE SNOW AND ICE
MAY BE COMBINED WITH STRONG EAST WINDS NEAR CASCADE LOCKS...POSSIBLY
CAUSING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES IN THE GORGE THURSDAY. WILL NEED
TO MONITOR THIS CLOSELY AS THIS COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE
HEAVILY TRAVELED ROUTES OF I-84 AND WA-14. WEAGLE
.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...THURSDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY...MODELS ENTER THE EXTENDED UNDER FAIRLY GOOD
AGREEMENT ON THE LARGE SCALE PICTURE. THE
BROAD ARCTIC TROUGH STILL WILL EXHIBIT INFLUENCE EAST OF THE CASCADES
FOR THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN. SOUTHERLY WINDS ON ON FRIDAY SHOULD
SERVE TO WARM UP A LARGE PART OF THE FORECAST AREA BUT SOUTHERLY
WINDS WILL LIKELY SKIP ACROSS THE GORGE WITHOUT MUCH MIXING BELOW THE
GORGE RIM. THIS WILL STILL ALLOW COLDER DENSE AIR TO SEEP THROUGH THE
COLUMBIA GORGE AND SEVERELY LIMIT TEMPERATURE RISES THROUGH THE
WEEKEND. THE REINFORCED COLD AIR IS ALSO INDICATED VIA MSLP FIELDS
FROM THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS. IN FACT...THE DGEX AND
ECMWF ARE IN REMARKABLE AGREEMENT BEGINNING SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER
ROUND OF STRONG EAST WIND GRADIENTS ACROSS THE MT HOOD/MT ADAMS GAP.
THIS GIVES ADDED CONFIDENCE THE COLDER AIR WILL SEEP TOWARD THE
WESTERN GORGE AND EAST METRO AT A MINIMUM.
AT THE SAME TIME...THE REGION WILL REMAIN UNDER A MOISTURE LADEN
BAROCLINIC BAND. MODELS HAVE BEEN WAVERING WITH THE NORTH-SOUTH
POSITION OF THE BAND BUT GENERALLY KEEP PRECIPITATION FALLING OVER
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CWA FOR THE BULK OF THE WEEKEND THOUGH
DRIFTING SOUTH AT TIMES. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE FOR A CONTINUED THREAT
OF MIXED RAIN/SNOW ACROSS THE NEAR GORGE AREA AND ESPECIALLY SO FOR
THE CENTRAL GORGE. BOTTOM LINE IS FOLKS PLANNING ON TRAVEL TOWARD
EAST OF THE CASCADES THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR WINTER TRAVEL. /JBONK
&&
.AVIATION...VFR WITH DRY AIR MASS. HIGH PRES OVER N ROCKIES WILL
GIVE MODERATE TO STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW ACROSS REGION LATER TODAY
THROUGH WED...WITH WINDS GUSTING 40 TO 55 KT OVER RIDGES AND
THROUGH THE COLUMBIA GORGE. STRONG POTENTIAL FOR 50 KT SUSTAINED
E WINDS WITHIN 2000 FT AGL OVER CASCADES FOOTHILLS TODAY TO WED.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...HIGH PRES WITH CLEAR SKIES THROUGH WED AM. E
WINDS INCREASING THIS AM ALOFT. GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
WED AM... WITH GUSTS 30 TO 40 KT. WINDS AT AND ABOVE TRAFFIC PATTERN
FROM KPDX EASTWARD LIKELY TO GUST 40 TO 55 KT DURING THAT TIME.
EXPECT WIND SHEAR DUE TO GUSTY E WINDS BELOW 4500 FT THROUGH WED AM.
ROCKEY.
&&
.MARINE...HIGH PRES INLAND WILL BRING INCREASING EAST WINDS TODAY.
DECENT GRADIENT OVER THE N WATERS...SO WILL SEE E WINDS GUSTING 30
TO 40 KT N OF CASCADE HEAD CLOSE TO SHORE. TYPICALLY...WILL GET
ANOTHER AREA OF WIND OVER THE WATERS ABOUT 10 MILES OFFSHORE AND
EXTENDING FURTHER TO THE W. THIS DUE TO AIR MASS WINDS DROPPING
OFF THE COAST RANGE AND SURFACING AT OCEAN LEVEL. EITHER WAY...
GUSTY WINDS WILL CREATE CHOPPY SEAS. SEAS WILL RUN 10 TO 14
FT...WITH HIGHEST SEAS OVER THE OUTER N WATERS WHERE E WINDS WILL
BE STRONGEST.
FURTHER TO THE S...NOT QUITE AS MUCH WIND SO SEAS BIT LESS. WILL
MAINTAIN SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ACROSS CENTRAL OREGON COASTAL
WATERS AS OVERALL WIND GUSTS SHOULD STAY 30 KT OR LESS.
OFFSHORE FLOW WILL EASE THU AS A LOW PRES APPROACHES FROM THE SW.
ROCKEY.
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 8 AM TODAY TO NOON WEDNESDAY FOR...
THE NORTH WILLAMETTE VALLEY...INCLUDING PORTLAND METRO.
NORTHERN OREGON CASCADE FOOTHILLS.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 2 PM TODAY TO 6 PM WEDNESDAY FOR
THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE.
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 8 AM TODAY TO NOON WEDNESDAY FOR...
CLARK COUNTY...INCLUDING GREATER VANCOUVER AREA
SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE FOOTHILLS.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 2 PM TODAY TO 6 PM WEDNESDAY FOR
THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE.
PZ...GALE WARNING TODAY THROUGH WED MORNING ON THE COASTAL
WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER TO CASCADE HEAD.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS TODAY THROUGH WED AM ON
COASTAL WATERS FROM CASCADE HEAD TO FLORENCE.
&&
INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND
WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS
COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.3 heavy snow, 3 ice storm, 2 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Most areas measured a tenth of an inch of ice in the Portland metro Area, but there were local areas, near Gresham and Troutdale where there was a quarter of an inch of ice. This ice resulted in transportation impacts for the Gresham area including the closure of Stark Street and Corbett Hill Road.
Several stations reported 10 to 12 inches of snow for the Cascades with some reporting rates greater than an inch per hour.
Spotters reported around 6 to 8 inches of snow for the Cascade Foothills followed by a quarter of an inch of ice.
A combination of heavy snow and ice resulted in slick driving conditions for the Western Columbia River Gorge. Areas in the gorge measured a quarter of an inch of ice whereas other areas had 5 to 8 inches of snow.
There were numerous reports of 5 to 8 inches of snow in 12 hours in the Upper Hood River Valley.
There were numerous reports of 5 to 8 inches of snow in 12 hours for the Central Columbia River Gorge.
The Central Willamette Valley had a quarter to a half of inch of ice. Numerous trees and large limbs were downed and or snapped by the weight of the ice. One tree crashed and injured a teen standing on a sidewalk in Salem.
There were several reports of a quarter to a halfo of an inch of accumulated ice in the Southern Willamette Valley. Numerous trees and large limbs were downed or snapped by the weight of the ice.
The Central Oregon Coast Range were especially hit hard with ice, with many areas reporting a half of inch of ice. An Emergency Manger that was visiting the area said that there were local spots with close to 2 inches of ice. A spotter in Blodgett, who has spent there entire life there, reported that this was the worst ice storm that they had ever seen. Numerous trees and large branches fell or snapped due to the weight of the ice.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, November 2014
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: 550121, 548510, 548511, 548508, 548506, 548507, 548515, 548516, 548517.