Multiple low pressure systems moving southward along the British Columbia coast brought mountain snow to the region over the course of three days. The cold air masses along with the moisture latent systems brought one to three feet of snow to areas along the south Washington Cascades.
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.
Multiple low pressure systems moving southward along the British Columbia coast brought mountain snow to the region over the course of three days. The cold air masses along with the moisture latent systems brought one to three feet of snow to areas along the south Washington Cascades.
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 Jan 10, 5:28 AM PST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>Special Weather Statement...CORRECTED National Weather Service Portland OR 404 AM PST Fri Jan 10 2020 ORZ001>008-010-012-014>016-WAZ020>022-039-040-045-046-110000- North Oregon Coast-Central Oregon Coast- Coast Range of Northwest Oregon- Central Coast Range of Western Oregon-Lower Columbia- Greater Portland Metro Area-Central Willamette Valley- South Willamette Valley-Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills- Cascade Foothills in Lane County-Upper Hood River Valley- Western Columbia River Gorge-Central Columbia River Gorge- Willapa Hills-South Washington Coast-I- 5 Corridor in Cowlitz County-Greater Vancouver Area- South Washington Cascade Foothills- Including the cities of Astoria, Cannon Beach, Tillamook, Netarts, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Newport, Cape Foulweather, Yachats, Florence, Vernonia, Jewell, Sunset Summit, Lees Camp, Trask, Grande Ronde, Burnt Woods, Tidewater, Swisshome, Veneta, St. Helens, Clatskanie, Hillsboro, Portland, Wilsonville, Oregon City, Gresham, Troutdale, Salem, McMinnville, Woodburn, Stayton, Dallas, Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany, Lebanon, Sandy, Estacada, Silver Falls State Park, Sweet Home, Vida, Jasper, Lowell, Cottage Grove, Parkdale, Odell, Corbett, Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks, Hood River, Willapa, Frances, Elk Mountain, Ryderwood, Raymond, Long Beach, Ocean Park, Naselle, Cathlamet, Cape Disappointment, Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Washougal, Yacolt, Amboy, Toutle, Ariel, Lake Merwin, Yale Lake, Cougar, North Bonneville, Stevenson, Carson, and Underwood 404 AM PST Fri Jan 10 2020 ...VERY WET AND INCREASINGLY COLD WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE NEXT WEEK, INCLUDING CHANCES FOR LOWLAND SNOW NEXT WEEK... A long series weather disturbances will move across the Pacific Northwest beginning Friday, and continues through much of next week. These weather systems will bring periods of heavy snow to the Cascades and the potential for moderate to heavy rain at lower elevations through Sunday. Two significant cold frontal passages are also expected, which will bring lowering snow levels from Saturday night into next week, with an increasing risk of snow reaching the valley floors next week. Much colder air is expected to spread into southwest Washington and northwest Oregon early next week, potentially cold enough to bring snow levels down to the valley floor. While specifics on accumulation amounts, areal distribution, and/or timing of snow remain uncertain, we continue to have confidence in some risk for low elevation snow next week. Now is a good time to make sure you are prepared in the event that all of the necessary ingredients come together for low elevation snows and associated travel impacts during the middle part of next week.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A multi-day snow event brought 18-36 inches of snow to the South Washington Cascades. The Swift Creek SNOTEL recorded 35 inches of snow during this event, along with several other sites over 18 inches.
The Calamity SNOTEL (CLJW1 - 2500') reported 6 inches of snow in 11 hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, January 2020
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: 873230, 873432.