A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. The event began with heavy snow in the mountains, but progressively cooler air brought snow levels down to the valley floors Christmas Day.
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.
A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. The event began with heavy snow in the mountains, but progressively cooler air brought snow levels down to the valley floors Christmas Day. Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th. The result was a significant lowland snow event, especially south of Salem where many locations recorded 5 to 10 inches of snow. Eugene Airport had one of the heavier snow totals, where contract observers measured 10.1 inches of snow during the event. Meanwhile, snow continued to pile up in the Cascades, with many locations exceeding 2 feet and some even exceeding 3 feet.
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 Dec 23, 9:47 PM PST, 7 hours 13 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Portland OR
947 PM PST Thu Dec 23 2021
Updated Aviation section and W/W/A section
.SYNOPSIS...Active weather is in store for the next several
days as low pressure stays to the north and short wave troughs
pass over the region. Each trough will bring a period of
precipitation starting with rain in the valley and snow in the
Cascades. Temperatures are expected to cool through starting
Saturday night which will allow lowland locations to turn over
to snow by Sunday. Accumulation values are still up in the air,
but snow is definitely possible.
&&
.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...Synoptically, the region
continues to sit under weak low pressure with a high pressure
ridge nearly stationary over the Pacific. The low pressure is
starting to become wrapped in cooler air that is advecting
southward from Alaska and continental Canada. Within the flow
around this low, several short wave troughs will advect over the
area, each bringing a round of precipitation along with it. The
first shortwave is exiting the area this afternoon but is still
producing some snow showers over the Cascades. The next
shortwave will push inland through the day on Friday. This
system will produce another round of rain for the lowlands and
snow for the Cascades which could equate to around 16-20 inches
of snow. One slight difference with this system is that enough
cool air will be in place that the Coast Range may begin to see
accumulating snow. This will greatly depend on the depth of the
cold air aloft and the precipitation rates. If rates are
higher, then will see more adiabatic cooling and thus, more
snowfall. As of right now, could see around 6-12 inches of snow
over the Coast Range at elevations above 1000 ft. With this
system, the Cascades too will see another round of snow with the
chances for around 10-18 inches of new snow possible. One thing
to note is the chance for thunderstorm activity along the coast
on Friday night into Saturday morning.
Saturday is a bit more challenging as it will act almost like a
transitional day between the system on Friday and the much more
robust front/short wave expected on Sunday. Saturday likely will
be showery as the isentropic lift in the area which will
enhance the already occurring showers. Even though snow will be
falling, likely will not see nearly as much snowfall through
Saturday afternoon as what is expected on Friday. The big
challenge with Saturday occurs later in the evening. Another
short wave trough will move over the region late Saturday into
Sunday. However, if this short wave moves inland earlier, the
snow that is expected on Sunday into early next week may begin
on Saturday. Either way, expect cooling conditions on Saturday
with more precipitation. -Muessle
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...The long term
forecast is full of very active winter weather and some
lingering uncertainty. Will preface the discussion with the
statement that models are coming into better agreement in
regards to the overall pattern and continue to strive to find a
solution in regards to lowland snow and accumulations.
The low pressure that is nearly stationary over the region will
remain in place through Sunday into early next week. Similar to
the pattern today, another short-wave is expected late Saturday
into Sunday through Monday. This short-wave has a significant
amount of energy associated with it, and is a fairly deep
digging trough. At 500 mb, absolute vorticity shows a maximum
in a line that stretches from Southeast Alaska to the northern
California coast in a northwest-southeast direction. This
energy when combined with support aloft in the jet stream, will
aid in creating mixing and thus, cooling down the area.
Forecast soundings show the entire column of air from the
surface to the troposphere well below freezing with temperatures
around 850 mb around -10C. This air will likely mix down and,
when combined with the northwesterly flow and moisture, will
likely bring snow to the surface in most of the forecast area.
The Coast and Cascade Ranges will likely see a continuation of
the snow from Saturday, but will intensify and the elevation of
snow will lower. Snow levels will easily reach 600 ft overnight
into Sunday, then reach the surface in all areas by later
Sunday morning. In fact, the low temperature for Sunday likely
will not occur until later in the morning due to the steady
southward trend of the arctic cold air pool. Because of this,
any precipitation will fall as snow. The southern portions of
the coast and Willamette Valley may stall a bit longer in seeing
snow, and the central coast may not see any at all and stay as
rain; this will mainly be a factor of when the cold air reaches
that area and how long it takes. We are expecting accumulating
snow within the Willamette Valley on Sunday into Monday, but
amounts are still up in the air. Ensemble models are struggling
to hone in on amounts and model to model has great differences.
In recent runs, the GFS is trending on the wetter side and is
producing snowfall ranging from 1 to 8 inches while the ECMWF
is closer to the 1 to 4 inches. Now that is not to say we will
see 8 inches of snow in Portland, but it just emphasizes how
large the range of possibilities are when it comes to snowfall.
One thing we do know is that there is a high likelihood that
most areas will see at least some snow from Saturday night
through Monday.
For those heading to the mountains, there is a high likelihood
that you will see heavy snow and some gusty westerly winds
through the weekend. We are counting snow accumulations for the
Cascades in 'feet' vs inches at this point. After Monday, there
is a great deal of uncertainty but it does look like the arctic
airmass will continue to shift south causing temperatures to
decrease quite a bit...likely the coolest temperatures seen thus
far this year.
Remember, with snow falling throughout the region, you should
be prepared for the worst. Before hitting the roads, check road
conditions by dialing 5-1-1 or visiting your state's DOT
websites. Stay up-to-date on the latest weather forecasts for
any watches or warnings that may be issued. Have your
preparedness kit ready to go; a list of things to include can be
found at www.ready.gov. -Muessle
&&
.AVIATION...06Z TAFs: Low pressure centered off the northern tip
of Vancouver Island will slowly slide southeast toward the PacNW.
modest westerly mid-level flow will see showers gradually
transition toward stratiform rain during the next few hours. With
this, cigs will lower to MVFR as rain and mountain snow develops
overnight. Winds along the immediate coast will become quite
breezy with gusts 30-35 kt later overnight. Inland gusts 15-20 kt
will be fairly common. A cold front will cross onshore near
daybreak with showers returning, but likely with continued MVFR
cigs through the morning. Many areas will start to see
increasing VFR pockets in the lower deck as showers become more
widely spaced. An exception may be KHIO where model and text
guidance suggest IFR cigs could develop during the late afternoon
and early evening hours.
For detailed regional Pac NW aviation weather information, go
online to: https://weather.gov/zse
KPDX AND APPROACHES...Next front off to the northwest will
spread thickening clouds and rain across area this evening, with
CIGS gradually lowering back to MVFR this evening. Front shifts
across the terminal area 14-16Z Friday, with transition to
showers. Lower cigs will start to scatter out closer to mid-day
but do expect continued mountain obscuration to limit visual
approaches. /JBonk
&&
.MARINE...Cool, unstable air mass over the region will maintain
showers into this evening. Winds mostly in the 15 to 25 kt range,
with seas 10 to 11 ft.
Next front is approaching from the northwest, and will push
across the coastal waters later tonight. Does appear will have
boost in westerly winds, with gusts of 30 to 35 ahead of the
front through late tonight. Buoy 46041 (Cape Elizabeth) off the
Washington coast was gusting 35 kt as of 1 pm. So, seems
reasonable to get these gusts spreading to the south tonight.
Will put up Gale warning for tonight, with strongest winds from 9
pm Thu night to 3 am Fri.
Once the front shifts inland late tonight into early Fri, will
see more steady state west to northwest winds with gusts 25 to 30
kt on Friday. Fetch of swell behind the front will arrive early
Friday, with seas building to 14 to 16 ft. Higher seas will be
over the outer waters, and to the central waters (south of
Tillamook). Not much change in the pattern into Sat, as low pres
off Washington coast, with west to northwest winds on the
coastal waters. Seas slowly subside, back to 10 to 12 ft on Sat.
Additional surface lows will drop southeastward into the waters
off the Pacific Northwest coast through early next week. These
generally will not be big wind producers, but they may help to
keep seas at 10 to 14 ft through early Monday. /BonKey
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Winter Storm Watch from Saturday afternoon through late Sunday
night for Central Columbia River Gorge-Central Willamette
Valley-Greater Portland Metro Area-Lower Columbia-North
Oregon Coast-South Willamette Valley-Upper Hood River
Valley-Western Columbia River Gorge.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 AM Friday to 6 AM PST Saturday for
Cascade Foothills in Lane County-Cascades in Lane County-
Central Coast Range of Western Oregon-Coast Range of
Northwest Oregon-Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills-
Northern Oregon Cascades.
Winter Storm Watch from Saturday morning through late Sunday
night for Cascade Foothills in Lane County-Cascades in
Lane County-Central Coast Range of Western Oregon-Coast
Range of Northwest Oregon-Northern Oregon Cascade
Foothills-Northern Oregon Cascades.
WA...Winter Storm Watch from Saturday afternoon through late Sunday
night for Central Columbia River Gorge-Greater Vancouver
Area-I-5 Corridor in Cowlitz County-South Washington Coast-
Western Columbia River Gorge.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 AM Friday to 6 AM PST Saturday for
South Washington Cascade Foothills-South Washington
Cascades-Willapa Hills.
Winter Storm Watch from Saturday morning through late Sunday
night for South Washington Cascade Foothills-South
Washington Cascades-Willapa Hills.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 4 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday for
coastal waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out
60 nm.
Gale Warning until 4 AM PST Friday for coastal waters from Cape
Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out 60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM PST Saturday for Columbia River
Bar.
&&14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues across mountain passes. Several SNOTELs reported 18 to 36 inches of snow through the period, with one station reporting 42 inches.
A prolonged winter weather even occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues. Around 8 to 20 inches of snow fell through the period.
A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues across mountain passes. Several SNOTELs reported 18 to 36 inches of snow through the period.
A prolonged winter weather even occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues. One station reported 13 inches of snow through the period.
A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues across the coast range. Several SNOTELs reported 14 to 28 inches of snow through the period.
A prolonged winter weather event occurred across the Pacific Northwest during the Christmas holiday, resulting in significant travel issues across the coast range. Around 12 to 18 inches of snow fell through the period.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 4 to 6 inches of snowfall was reported.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 2 to 6 inches of snowfall was reported.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Widespread snowfall amounts of 4 to 10 inches were reported, with a locally high snowfall of 13 inches occurred at Junction City.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 4 to 8 inches of snowfall were reported.
Widespread snow showers increased across the area Christmas night, continuing through the 26th. Western areas of the Portland metro saw around 2 to 6 inches of snow, while around 1 to 2 inches of snow fell elsewhere. Also reported was the death of one person in Multnomah County due to hypothermia. Key Impacts: traffic accidents.
Spotters reported 4 to 6 inches of snowfall.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 5 to 10 inches of snowfall were reported.
Snow showers increased the night of the 25th, continuing through the 26th, resulting in significant travel issues for the holiday weekend. Around 16 inches of snowfall was reported.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Greater Portland Metro Area | 2021-12-25 | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2021
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: 997149, 997151, 997153, 997181, 1001307, 995229, 995222, 995223, 997197, 997199, 997205, 1001308, 1001309, 1001310.