Several pacific storm systems moved across the region over the Dec 12-13 weekend. Each storm system brought several inches of snow to the mountain areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 PDT wrote it up.
Several pacific storm systems moved across the region over the Dec 12-13 weekend. Each storm system brought several inches of snow to the mountain areas. Snowfall amounts in inches include: 21.0 10 miles west of La Pine, 14.0 at Tollgate, 12.0 13 miles southwest of Mitchell, and 9.0 6 miles east southeast of Granite.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 12, 4:00 PM PST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
400 PM PST SAT DEC 12 2015
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. STRONG UPPER LOW AND
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND
SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA. WARM FRONTAL PRECIPITATION INCREASING
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS
WILL BE ABOUT 3000-4000 FEET. A SECONDARY SYSTEM SEEN ON WATER
VAPOR OFFSHORE WILL THEN MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY WITH ADDITIONAL RAIN AND SNOW. FREEZING LEVELS WILL BE
DECREASING AND SNOW WILL START REACHING DOWN TO LOWER ELEVATIONS.
MOST LIKELY 2000-3000 FEET. EXPECT A GRADUAL DECREASING TREND IN
PRECIPITATION SUNDAY NIGHT ALTHOUGH A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL
CONTINUE TO FAVOR THE CASCADES AND NORTHEAST OREGON MOUNTAINS WITH
SNOW. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE SIGNIFICANT FOR THE MID
AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND HAVE UPGRADED WATCHES TO WARNINGS. WITH
A DEEP SURFACE LOW MOVING INTO VANCOUVER ISLAND COULD SEE LOCALLY
BREEZY SOUTH WINDS INTO EARLY TONIGHT. 94
.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...A NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT
ON THE WESTERN FLANK OF A LONGWAVE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL KEEP
A CHANCE OF OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND THE
WALLOWA MOUNTAINS AND ALONG SUMMIT RIDGE IN EASTERN WALLOWA COUNTY
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THEN A MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDS OVER REGION FROM THE WEST TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT FOR DRY
CONDITIONS. COOLING TREND THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS MONDAY IN
THE LOWER 30S TO LOWER 40S AND ON TUESDAY IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID
30S. POLAN
.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THE ACTIVE WEATHER
PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SEVERAL STORM
SYSTEMS AFFECTING OUR AREA. WEDNESDAY STARTS OUT COLD WITH A CHANCE
FOR RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AND SNOW SHOWERS
IN THE MOUNTAINS. THERE REMAINS A GOOD DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE
EXACT FORECAST DETAILS FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND BEYOND...HOWEVER
THERE IS FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT SEVERAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND
FRONTS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA DURING THIS TIME. THE CURRENT
THINKING IS THAT SYSTEM NUMBER ONE WILL ARRIVE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. WITH COLD AIR IN PLACE OVER THE CWA
PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THIS SYSTEM EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO START
OUT MAINLY AS SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH SNOW LEVELS AT
OR BELOW 1000 FEET IN NORTHERN OREGON AND SOUTHERN WASHINGTON.
THURSDAY NIGHT WARMER AIR ALOFT MAY MOVE INTO THE AREA IN
ASSOCIATION WITH A WARM FRONT. THIS WOULD CHANGED THE PRECIPITATION
OVER TO A WINTRY MIX OF RAIN...SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. THE
NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM THEN QUICKLY APPROACHES FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY
WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS IN THE FORECAST. THERE ARE SOME
INDICATIONS (MAINLY FROM THE GFS MODEL) THAT COLD AIR WILL BE DAMMED
UP AGAINST THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES AND INTO PARTS OF THE
COLUMBIA BASIN THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. IF THIS IS THE
CASE...DEPENDING ON THE DEPTH OF THIS COLD AIR...THERE COULD BE
LINGERING POCKETS OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET OR SNOW IN THESE ZONES.
THIS POTENTIAL WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED CAREFULLY IN FUTURE FORECAST
UPDATES.
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO JUST BELOW AVERAGE LEVELS THROUGH
MUCH OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL SEE
DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE 20S TO 30S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 10S AND
20S. BY SATURDAY IT WILL WARM UP SLIGHTLY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES
REACHING THE 30S AND LOWER 40S. 77
.AVIATION...00Z TAFS...A WARM FRONT HAS SPREAD LOW CIGS, LIFT AND
MOISTURE EAST OF THE CASCADES RESULTING IN RAIN AND WIDESPREAD MVFR
CONDITIONS, WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE FIRST 12-18 HOURS OF THE
PERIOD. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY IMPROVING CONDITIONS FOR VFR
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THERE MAY BE A BREAK IN THE
PRECIP IN A FEW HOURS AT KRDM AND KBDN EARLY THIS EVENING WITH
PRECIPITATION BEGINNING AGAIN AS SNOW AFTER 09Z-10Z. AT KPDT, KALW
PERSISTENT RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT UNTIL AROUND 18Z-19Z ON
SUNDAY. RAIN ENDS AT KDLS, KYKM AND KPSC BY 13TH/03Z AS A RESULT OF
DOWNSLOPE WINDS PRODUCING SINKING MOTION. POLAN
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 39 44 31 37 / 80 70 30 10
ALW 41 44 34 39 / 80 70 30 20
PSC 40 47 33 42 / 80 50 20 10
YKM 32 43 26 39 / 70 30 20 10
HRI 39 46 34 42 / 80 60 20 10
ELN 31 40 27 35 / 80 40 20 10
RDM 33 36 23 34 / 90 80 40 10
LGD 35 38 27 32 / 90 80 60 20
GCD 35 35 22 29 / 90 90 50 20
DLS 38 45 34 42 / 80 70 30 10
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY
FOR ORZ050-502-503-506.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST MONDAY FOR ORZ509.
WA...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY
FOR WAZ030.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST MONDAY FOR WAZ520.
&&
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
94/99/77/99PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
139 PM PST SAT DEC 12 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0135 PM SNOW 5 N LA PINE 43.74N 121.52W
12/12/2015 E3.5 INCH DESCHUTES OR TRAINED SPOTTER
SNOWING HEAVILY SINCE ABOUT 10 AM PST THIS
MORNING...SNOWFALL RATE ESTIMATED AT 1 INCH PER HOUR.
ELEVATION APPOXIMATELY 4400 FEET.
&&
MMURPHYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
142 PM PST SAT DEC 12 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 AM SNOW 5 N LA PINE 43.74N 121.52W
12/12/2015 M5.0 INCH DESCHUTES OR TRAINED SPOTTER
SNOW ACCUMULATION FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.
&&
MMURPHYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
330 PM PST SAT DEC 12 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM HEAVY SNOW 5 NNW LA PINE 43.74N 121.54W
12/12/2015 M5.0 INCH DESCHUTES OR TRAINED SPOTTER
5 INCHES NEW SNOW SINCE 9 AM.
&&
MLThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2015
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: 604693, 604690, 604691, 604692.