Heavy snow fell over central Oregon the morning of the 23rd and continued through the overnight hours on Christmas Eve. 5) at Camp Sherman and (9) 5 miles north northwest of La Pine.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Heavy snow fell over central Oregon the morning of the 23rd and continued through the overnight hours on Christmas Eve. Snowfall amounts in inches are (6.5) at Camp Sherman and (9) 5 miles north northwest of La Pine.
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 23, 9:28 AM PST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
928 AM PST WED DEC 23 2015
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION
.SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT...FORECAST AREA WILL BE UNDER A
MOIST WESTERLY FLOW. THIS WILL FAVOR PRECIPITATION ALONG THE CASCADE
CREST SPILLING OVER ONTO THE EAST SLOPES AND OVER THE BLUE
MOUNTAINS. WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES CONTINUE FOR THESE
AREAS INTO TONIGHT. REST OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL SEE SOME
OCCASIONAL SNOW SHOWERS BUT LITTLE IF ANY FURTHER ACCUMULATIONS.
&&
.AVIATION...18Z TAFS...SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL LINGER ALONG THE
CASCADES AND BLUE MOUNTAINS. CEILINGS WILL GENERALLY BE ABOVE
MVFR...EXCEPT IN THE VICINITY OF SHOWERS. WINDS WILL BE SW-W 10-20
KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS...DECREASING OVERNIGHT. EARLE
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 300 AM PST WED DEC 23 2015/
SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY...FAST NWLY FLOW ALOFT
WILL GRADUALLY TURN NORTHERLY BY FRIDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
BUILDS OFFSHORE AND BEGINS TO IMPINGE ON THE INLAND NORTHWEST. THE
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS WILL GET PROGRESSIVELY COLDER BUT ALSO DRIER.
FOR TODAY WITH WESTERLY FLOW EXPECT SNOW SHOWERS TO CONTINUE ALONG
THE CASCADE CREST AND IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS WHERE WINTER HIGHLIGHTS
CONTINUE. WILL DROP THE ADVISORIES FOR THE FOOTHILLS IN OREGON WITH
THIS FORECAST PACKAGE BUT HANG ON TO THEM IN THE WASHINGTON
FOOTHILLS WHERE THE LATEST MODELS REDEVELOP PRECIPITATION THIS
MORNING.
OTHERWISE THE REST OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS LOOK
GOOD. WILL BE MONITORING THE WASHINGTON CASCADES FOR A POTENTIAL
UPGRADE TO A WARNING THE NEXT FEW HOURS MAINLY FOR NW KITTITAS
COUNTY. SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL DECREASE ON THURSDAY WITH JUST
SCATTERED MAINLY MOUNTAIN SHOWERS. EVEN LESS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ON
FRIDAY AS THE DRIER NORTHERLY FLOW BEGINS TO TAKE OVER. BY FRIDAY
MOST AREAS WILL STRUGGLE TO SEE HIGHS MUCH ABOVE FREEZING. IT WILL
BE A BIT BREEZY TODAY BUT NOTHING LIKE WHAT WE SAW ON MONDAY. 78
LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...FORECAST AREA WILL BE ON
THE EASTERN FLANK OF AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE
FRIDAY NIGHT RESULTING IN A NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT THAT BRINGS A DRIER
AND COLDER AIR MASS INTO THE INTERIOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR DRY
CONDITIONS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SATURDAY THE RIDGE
BUILDS OVER US AND REMAINS WITH INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THERE WILL BE A
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION MOVING EAST OF THE CASCADES SUNDAY AFTERNOON
AND ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH THE NEXT PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM.
POLAN
AVIATION...12Z TAFS...SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ALONG CASCADE
CRESTS AND EAST SLOPES FOR REMAINDER OF TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.
CEILINGS MOSTLY 030-060. WESTERLY WINDS 10-20KT. POLAN
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 40 29 36 24 / 20 20 20 20
ALW 43 31 40 28 / 40 20 20 20
PSC 43 31 39 26 / 10 10 10 20
YKM 37 24 35 18 / 10 10 10 10
HRI 43 30 39 27 / 10 10 10 10
ELN 34 22 33 15 / 10 10 10 10
RDM 35 22 32 15 / 40 30 30 20
LGD 35 28 33 21 / 50 40 30 20
GCD 30 23 29 16 / 50 40 40 20
DLS 43 31 41 28 / 30 30 20 20
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ORZ503.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ509.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ502.
WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR WAZ030-520.
&&
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
91/81/81PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
717 AM PST WED DEC 23 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0715 AM SNOW 1 N TROUT LAKE 46.01N 121.53W
12/23/2015 M5.5 INCH KLICKITAT WA TRAINED SPOTTER
14 INCH SNOW DEPTH
&&
MMURPHYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
816 AM PST WED DEC 23 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0814 AM HEAVY SNOW 5 NNW LA PINE 43.74N 121.54W
12/23/2015 M9.0 INCH DESCHUTES OR TRAINED SPOTTER
9 INCHES OF NEW SNOW SINCE YESTERDAY EVENING. SNOW DEPTH
ESTIMATED AT 30 INCHES. STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY AT TIME OF
REPORT.
&&
MMURPHYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 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: 606418.