Heavy Snow in Washington, December 17 to 18, 2015

Name: Heavy Snow in Washington, December 17 to 18, 2015
Start: 2015-12-17T08:00
End: 2015-12-18T03:30
Location: Washington

December 17 to 18, 2015 · NWS PDT · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A weather system produced widespread winter precipitation across the pacific northwest, with a warm front quickly to follow. Several inches of snow accumulated across the central Washington area.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 PDT wrote it up.

A weather system produced widespread winter precipitation across the pacific northwest, with a warm front quickly to follow. Several inches of snow accumulated across the central Washington area. Snowfall amounts in inches are as followed: (14) just north of Trout Lake, (8) 4 miles north northeast of The Dalles, (6.5) 12 miles northeast of Appleton, (6.5) 4 miles east northeast of Thorp, and (6) 2 miles north northwest of Tieton.

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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 2:59 AM PST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 2:59 AM PST, 5 hours 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
259 AM PST THU DEC 17 2015

.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH
THE NEXT PACIFIC SYSTEM'S WARM FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO THE
INTERIOR NORTHWEST EARLY THIS MORNING. SNOW IS FALLING ACROSS
CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL OREGON. SNOW IS ALSO WORKING INTO PORTIONS
OF KLICKITAT AND YAKIMA COUNTIES. EXPECT THIS PRECIP TO CONTINUE TO
SPREAD NORTH, NORTHEAST AND EAST THROUGH MID MORNING. WARM AIR
POCKETS ARE CURRENTLY HARD TO FIND, THUS EXPECT TO SEE SNOW AT MOST
AREAS THROUGH DAYBREAK. SHOULD STILL SEE WARMING DUE TO INCREASED
SOUTHERLY FLOW IN CENTRAL OREGON CAUSING SNOW LEVELS TO BEGIN RISING
MID AND LATE MORNING. AT THE SAME COULD SEE AN ELEVATED WARM NOSE
WORK TOWARDS NORTH CENTRAL OREGON AND EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON BY LATE MORNING. THUS THESE AREAS COULD STILL SEE
FREEZING RAIN MIXED WITH THE SNOW AT LOCATIONS WITH A SURFACE TEMP
BELOW 32 DEGREES. LOCATIONS WITHIN THIS AREA WITH TEMPS 32 DEGREES
OR HIGHER WILL MAINLY SEE RAIN LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SOUTHEAST
FLOW WILL ALSO INCREASE ALONG THE BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS WHICH
SHOULD GRADUALLY LEAD TO A RISE IN THE SNOW LEVELS IN THIS AREA AT
SOME POINT THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE ACROSS
THE AREA TONIGHT, THUS WILL SEE AN END TO SNOW OVER A GOOD PORTION
OF THE LOWER ELEVATION AREAS. COLD AIR SHOULD BE SLOW TO MIX OUT AT
THE SURFACE OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF INTERIOR WASHINGTON. THUS
WILL SEE A CONTINUATION OF THE WINTRY MIX, THOUGH WITH A DECREASING
CONTRIBUTION FROM SNOW. OVERALL CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS LOOK GOOD AND
WILL NOT MAKE ANY ALTERATIONS AT THIS TIME. LOCALLY BREEZY WINDS
WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL OREGON, THE SOUTH END OF THE GRANDE
RONDE VALLEY AND OVER PORTIONS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS AT
TIMES TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE SYSTEM'S COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE
REGION FRIDAY AND EXIT LATE IN THE FRIDAY NIGHT PERIOD. THIS FRONT
WILL KEEP VARYING CHANCES OF PRECIP GOING OVER THE REGION THROUGH
FRIDAY NIGHT, THOUGH CHANCES WILL BE ON THE DECREASE FRIDAY NIGHT.
90

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...THE FORECAST AREA WILL
REMAIN IN AN ACTIVE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WITH FREQUENT WEATHER
SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PERIOD. MODELS SEEM TO BE IN FAIR AGREEMENT WITH
SOME DIFFERENCES IN STRENGTH AND TIMING OF EACH SYSTEM. HOWEVER...
DUE TO THE HIGH FREQUENCY OF WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL KEEP AT LEAST A
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION EACH DAY THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD.
PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE MOSTLY RAIN OR POSSIBLY MIXED RAIN AND
SNOW IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE
SCENARIO COULD BE RAIN DURING THE DAY TIME HOURS AND SNOW OR MIXED
RAIN AND SNOW AT NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO A FEW DEGREES
ABOVE NORMAL EACH DAY THROUGH THURSDAY. IT WILL BECOME LOCALLY
BREEZY TO WINDY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY FROM SUNDAY ONWARD. LOOKING
AHEAD...AT THIS TIME...THE LONG TERM FORECAST MODELS ARE HINTING AT
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CROSSING OREGON FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST
WITH ENOUGH COLD AIR IN PLACE FOR SNOW ON CHRISTMAS DAY IN ALL
AREAS. HOWEVER...IT IS MUCH TOO EARLY TO BE CERTAIN IF THAT WILL
ACTUALLY OCCUR OR NOT. IT DOES LOOK TO BE UNSETTLED ENOUGH THOUGH
FOR SOME KIND OF PRECIPITATION FOR SOME TIME ON BOTH CHRISTMAS EVE
AND DAY. 88

&&

.AVIATION...12Z TAFS...PERIODS OF IFR OR LIFR CAN BE EXPECTED EARLY
THIS MORNING AT KRDM...KDLS...KBDN AND EVENTUALLY KYKM IN SNOW OR
MIXED RAIN AND SNOW AND MIST WITH LOW CIGS. ELSEWHERE IT WILL REMAIN
VFR UNTIL DAYLIGHT AND THEN CONDITIONS OVER THE REST OF THE AREA
WILL DETERIORATE AS THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION AND LOWERING CIGS
SPREADS EASTWARD. IT WILL BECOME LOCALLY BREEZY ALONG THE BLUE
MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS AND OVER CENTRAL OREGON...OTHERWISE WINDS WILL BE
LIGHT. 88

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  33  33  46  32 / 100  80  40  30
ALW  34  35  49  34 / 100  90  60  30
PSC  33  32  45  31 /  90  80  30  20
YKM  32  32  42  21 / 100  80  30  10
HRI  33  33  47  31 / 100  80  30  20
ELN  31  28  39  21 / 100  80  40  20
RDM  40  36  45  23 /  90  70  40  30
LGD  33  33  42  27 / 100  90  70  60
GCD  34  37  41  28 / 100  80  50  50
DLS  36  34  45  32 / 100  80  50  30

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ509-
     511.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ041-510.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ044-505-507-
     508.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ503-506.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ049-050-502.

WA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR WAZ024.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR WAZ028-029.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR WAZ026-027-520.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR WAZ030.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR WAZ521.

&&

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON

90/88/88

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 17, 7:21 AM PST, 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
721 AM PST THU DEC 17 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0600 AM     HEAVY SNOW       SUNRIVER                43.88N 121.44W
12/17/2015  M7.0 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   PUBLIC

            7 INCHES OF NEW SNOW FELL OVER 3 HOURS AT THE SUNRIVER
            CAMERA.

&&

DWEBER

Local storm report, Dec 17, 7:29 AM PST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
729 AM PST THU DEC 17 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0727 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 NNW LA PINE           43.74N 121.54W
12/17/2015  M0.0 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            OBSERVER REPORTED SNOW BEGAN AT 10 PM AND HAS PRODUCED 10
            INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IN LESS THAN 12 HOURS.

&&

RQB

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Columbia River Gorge

When: December 17, 8:00 AM PST to 6:30 PM PST
Where: Eastern Columbia River Gorge forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.874, -120.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades

When: December 17, 9:30 AM PST to December 18, 3:30 AM PST
Where: East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy Snow, Simcoe Highlands

When: December 17, 12:45 PM PST to 9:30 PM PST
Where: Simcoe Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.166, -120.764 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kittitas Valley

When: December 17, 1:45 PM PST to December 18, 3:30 AM PST
Where: Kittitas Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.791, -120.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley

When: December 17, 2:30 PM PST to December 18, 3:30 AM PST
Where: Yakima Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.457, -120.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 Washington in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, December 2015

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: 604890, 604904, 604892, 604893, 604894.