Heavy Snow in Washington, December 21 to 22, 2015

Name: Heavy Snow in Washington, December 21 to 22, 2015
Start: 2015-12-21T12:30
End: 2015-12-22T09:30
Location: Washington

December 21 to 22, 2015 · NWS PDT · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell over portions of central Washington and Oregon due to a cold front. Snowfall amounts in inches are as followed: (20) at Ski Bluewood, (12) in Cle Elum, (8) 5 miles north northeast of Yakima, (8) in Bickleton, and (6) 4 miles east northeast of Thorp.

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.

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 21, 9:45 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 9:45 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
945 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015

...UPDATED FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION...

.SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT...CONCERN TODAY WILL BE THE
PRECIPITATION FALLING AS SNOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT FOLLOWED BY THE
STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE. WINTER STORM
WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TODAY
AND OVERNIGHT. BEST AREA FOR SNOW TODAY WILL BE ALONG THE EAST
SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES INCLUDING THE KITTITAS AND YAKIMA
VALLEYS AND OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS OF OREGON. ONCE THE COLD
FRONT MOVES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON THE SNOW WILL BE MAINLY FOCUSED
ON THE BLUE MOUNTAINS IN A STRONG UPSLOPE FLOW OVERNIGHT. SOUTH
WINDS ARE ALREADY INCREASING OVER CENTRAL OREGON AHEAD OF THE FRONT
BUT WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN WINDS AS A SURFACE LOW ALONG THE FRONT
MOVES ACROSS WASHINGTON THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HIGH WIND
WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SUSTAINED WINDS OVER
40 MPH AND OR GUSTS GREAT THAN 60 MPH.

&&

.AVIATION...18Z TAFS...VARIOUS CATEGORIES WILL CONTINUE AT ALL TAFS
SITES OVER THE NEXT 6 TO 12 HOURS. WIDESPREAD RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS
MOVING IN FROM CENTRAL OREGON TO SOUTHERN WASHINGTON.  SNOW IS
MAINLY TRAPPED OVER THE YAKIMA VALLEY WITH RAIN ELSEWHERE. CIG/VIS
WILL SEE FREQUENT CHANGES WITHIN A SHORT TIME PERIOD AS SHOWERS MOVE
IN AND OUT. TAFS WILL CONTINUE TO BE AMENED AS NEEDED.

WINDS WILL BE ANOTHER MAJOR ISSUE TODAY...WITH KYKM BEING THE
EXCEPTION.  HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL OTHER TAF SITES
AND GUSTS COULD EXCEED 50KTS AT TIMES. THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE FROM
18Z-03Z...BUT THE STRONGER GUSTS MAY EXTEND BEYOND 03Z FOR
KPDT...KPSC...AND KALW. WEBER

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 400 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015/

SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...MOST OF THE PRESSING
CONCERNS ARE TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING AS A VERY STRONG LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE CASCADES AND ACROSS THE LOWER COLUMBIA
BASIN OF WASHINGTON. THE EFFECTS WILL BE TWOFOLD...HEAVY SNOW AND
HIGH WINDS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS WINTER STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT IN
OREGON AND WASHINGTON. THE BEST BET FOR HEAVY SNOW WILL BE ALONG THE
WASHINGTON CASCADE EAST SLOPES AND KITTITAS VALLEY WHERE COLD AIR
WILL HANG ON THE LONGEST...AND OVER THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE
BLUE MOUNTAINS WHERE FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS WILL KICK IN THIS
EVENING. HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA ALONG AND
SOUTH OF THE LOW TRACK. VERY STRONG LOW-LEVEL WINDS WILL BE IN
PLACE AND THE PATTERN APPEARS QUITE FAVORABLE FOR DAMAGING WINDS.
THE ONLY CONCERN IS THAT SOME OF THE NUMERICAL MODELS ARE NOT
SHOWING ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE MIXING OF THESE WINDS TO THE GROUND.
THAT BEING SAID THE WINDS JUST OFF THE SURFACE ARE 60 TO 70 KT SO
POCKETS OF DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THINGS WILL QUIET DOWN LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY BUT
ANOTHER STORM WILL IMPACT THE AREA MAINLY TUESDAY NIGHT WITH MORE
LOW ELEVATION RAIN/SNOW ABOVE 2000 FEET AND AT LEAST SOME WIND
BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT EXPECTED TODAY. 78

LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...A VERY PROGRESSIVE FLOW
ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM WILL STEER A
SERIES OF DISTURBANCES ACROSS THE INTERIOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST DURING
THE PERIOD. THE UPPER LEVEL JET BUCKLES UPSTREAM ON WEDNESDAY DUE TO
AN AMPLIFYING MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING SOUTHEAST FROM THE GULF
OF ALASKA WITH THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE TROUGH SENDING ANOTHER WARM
FRONT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY WITH SNOW
LEVELS OF 1000-2000 FEET.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE AMPLIFYING MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES
MOVING SOUTHEAST MAKING LANDFALL OVERNIGHT, AND THEN MOVES ACROSS
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY AND KEEPS SNOW LEVELS AT THE SURFACE
FOR A CHANCE OF SNOW THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY AND ON THURSDAY
NIGHT WITH THE TROUGH EXITING THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THEN ON
CHRISTMAS DAY A DRIER AND COLDER AIRMASS MOVES INTO THE INTERIOR
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR DRY CONDITIONS, BUT WITH A CHANCE OF
OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS AND IN THE WALLOWA
MOUNTAINS. FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS
OVER US FOR DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WITH A CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION MOVING EAST OF THE CASCADES ON SUNDAY. POLAN

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT  44  34  40  33 /  90  40  30  50
ALW  46  37  43  35 /  90  60  30  60
PSC  43  35  43  33 /  90  30  20  50
YKM  36  27  38  28 / 100  30  20  40
HRI  46  36  42  30 / 100  20  20  50
ELN  34  24  35  29 / 100  30  30  50
RDM  45  27  38  30 / 100  20  20  40
LGD  40  30  35  29 /  90  80  30  60
GCD  37  26  31  21 / 100  50  20  60
DLS  45  36  43  33 / 100  30  30  60

&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ041-044-
     505-507>511.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ORZ509.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST TUESDAY FOR ORZ050-503-
     506.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST TUESDAY FOR ORZ502.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR ORZ041.

WA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR WAZ024-
     028>030-521.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST TUESDAY FOR WAZ030.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 8 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR WAZ026-027-
     521.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST TUESDAY FOR WAZ520.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR WAZ024.

&&

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

91/89/89

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 21, 7:41 AM PST, 4 hours 49 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
741 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015

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

0738 AM     SNOW             8 SSW TROUT LAKE        45.89N 121.59W
12/21/2015  M5.5 INCH        KLICKITAT          WA   COCORAHS

            24-HOUR ACCUMULATION 5.5 INCHES. 21.5 INCHES OF SNOW ON
            THE GROUND.

0738 AM     SNOW             4 NW MEACHAM            45.55N 118.48W
12/21/2015  M3.0 INCH        UMATILLA           OR   COCORAHS

            24 HOUR ACCUMULATION 3 INCHES

0738 AM     SNOW             1 S BEND                44.05N 121.31W
12/21/2015  M4.3 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   COCORAHS

            4.3 INCHES IN 24 HOURS

&&

MWISTER

Local storm report, Dec 21, 9:03 AM PST, 3 hours 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
903 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015

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

0745 AM     HEAVY SNOW       5 NNW LA PINE           43.74N 121.54W
12/21/2015  M10.0 INCH       DESCHUTES          OR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            5 INCHES YESTERDAY AND ADDITIONAL 5 INCHES THIS MORNING.
            TOTAL 10 INCHES IN PAST 24 HOURS.

0830 AM     SNOW             NNW UKIAH               45.14N 118.93W
12/21/2015  M3.5 INCH        UMATILLA           OR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            3.5 INCHES SINCE MIDNIGHT. 8 INCHES ON THE GROUND.
            SNOWING HEAVILY NOW.

0840 AM     SNOW             4 ENE WHITE SALMON      45.75N 121.41W
12/21/2015  M2.0 INCH        KLICKITAT          WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            2 INCHES THIS MORNING AND SNOWING HEAVILY AT 2000 FEET.
            AT 1000 FEET...RAINING HEAVILY. EAST WINDS GUSTING TO
            AROUND 20 MPH CAUSING BLOWING SNOW. TEMPERATURE 36
            DEGREES.

&&

MWISTER

Local storm report, Dec 21, 9:46 AM PST, 2 hours 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
946 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015

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

0800 AM     SNOW             SNOWDEN                 45.83N 121.35W
12/21/2015  M5.0 INCH        KLICKITAT          WA   CO-OP OBSERVER

            5 INCHES IN 24 HOURS. 15 INCHES ON THE GROUND.

0900 AM     SNOW             12 SSW CANYON CITY      44.23N 119.04W
12/21/2015  M4.6 INCH        GRANT              OR   COCORAHS

            4.6 INCHES IN 24 HOURS

0922 AM     SNOW             5 N LA PINE             43.74N 121.52W
12/21/2015  M5.0 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            5 INCHES SINCE 3 AM. IT IS SNOWING AT A RATE OF 1 INCH
            PER HOUR.

0930 AM     SNOW             3 ESE WEST VALLEY       46.58N 120.54W
12/21/2015  M2.0 INCH        YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TWO SPOTTERS IN YAKIMA REPORTED 2 INCHES SINCE 8 AM.
            HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES WITH SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 INCH PER
            HOUR.

&&

MWISTER

Local storm report, Dec 21, 11:01 AM PST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1101 AM PST MON DEC 21 2015

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

0900 AM     SNOW             EASTON                  47.24N 121.18W
12/21/2015  M6.0 INCH        KITTITAS           WA   CO-OP OBSERVER

            6 INCHES IN 24 HOURS

0954 AM     SNOW             SUNRIVER                43.88N 121.44W
12/21/2015  M5.0 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   CO-OP OBSERVER

            5 INCHES IN 24 HOURS. 20 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND.

1033 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 WSW KOOSKOOSKIE       45.99N 118.18W
12/21/2015  M58.00 MPH       UMATILLA           OR   MESONET

            SOUTH 41G58 MPH. PIKES PEAK MESONET ELEV 3454 FT

&&

MWISTER

Local storm report, Dec 21, 12:08 PM PST, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1208 PM PST MON DEC 21 2015

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

0730 AM     HEAVY SNOW       4 WSW LA PINE           43.65N 121.57W
12/21/2015  E7.0 INCH        DESCHUTES          OR   TRAINED SPOTTER

            6 TO 8 INCHES FELL BETWEEN 3 AM AND 730 AM THIS MORNING.

1205 PM     HEAVY SNOW       ELLENSBURG              47.00N 120.55W
12/21/2015  M4.0 INCH        KITTITAS           WA   PUBLIC

            FACEBOOK POSTS RECEIVED OF 3-4 INCHES OF SNOW SINCE 7 AM

&&

MWISTER

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, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades

When: December 21, 12:30 PM PST to December 22, 2:00 AM PST
Where: East Slopes of the Washington Cascades forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley

When: December 21, 12:45 PM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Yakima Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.457, -120.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yakima Valley

When: December 21, 1:00 PM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Yakima Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.457, -120.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kittitas Valley

When: December 21, 1:44 PM PST to 5:30 PM 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, Northwest Blue Mountains

When: December 22, 8:00 AM PST to 9:30 AM PST
Where: Northwest Blue Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.264, -118.193 (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: 606404, 606415, 606416, 606414, 606406.