A strong cold front followed by an upper low passage brought blizzard conditions to area mountains with heavy snow having been reported across the mountains and lower elevation areas as well. The cold front passage also produced strong winds across the area Jan 9th, with areas of the foothills of the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the lower Columbia Basin of Washington reaching warning criteria.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
A strong cold front followed by an upper low passage brought blizzard conditions to area mountains with heavy snow having been reported across the mountains and lower elevation areas as well. The cold front passage also produced strong winds across the area Jan 9th, with areas of the foothills of the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the lower Columbia Basin of Washington reaching warning criteria.
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 Jan 8, 3:55 PM PST, 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
355 PM PST Mon Jan 8 2024
Updated Aviation Discussion
.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday night...A well organized
occluded front is offshore with the surface low west of the Queen
Charlotte Islands. A warm front has spread precipitation across
most of WA and the northern half of Oregon, and snow levels have
increased to around 3500 feet over central and north central
Oregon. Cold air is much deeper to the north with near to below freezing
temperatures at all elevations along the east slopes of the WA
Cascades. NWAC shows accumulations of 4 inches along Snoqualmie
Pass with snowfall rates of around 1.5 inches/hour since 11 AM
this morning. Winter Storm Warnings for the east slopes of the WA
Cascades look on track for this evening. The Winter Weather
Advisory set to expire at 4 PM for the east slopes of the Oregon
Cascades also looks reasonable with the increasing snow levels and
precipitation changing to rain in the lower valleys. One
additional concern tonight for the Cascade east slopes of WA is
the freezing rain potential, and a chance (30-50%) was added to
the forecast tonight. Ice accumulations less than a tenth of an
inch are forecast, and the heavy snow potential will remain as the
primary highlight for the warning.
Weather concerns ramp up tomorrow as a vigorous surface cold
front tracks to the south with strong pre- and post-frontal
winds. Current High Wind Warnings for the Oregon Blue Mountain
Foothills and the Simcoe Highlands remain as is, and the Wind
Advisory for the lower elevation zones will be extended for the
same time as the high wind warnings--i.e. 4 AM Tuesday through 1
PM Wednesday. In the advisory areas, there is moderate confidence
(50%) that winds will be on the high end of the advisory with
50-55 mph gusts, and I cannot rule out localized 55-60 mph gusts.
If there was definite indication of isentropic descent and more
HREF members showing 50+ mph gusts, then the wind advisories would
have been upgraded to warnings.
A few adjustments were made to the winter highlights. No changes
were made to the Blizzard Warnings, as this will be a significant
blowing and drifting snow event for both WA/OR Cascades and the
northern Blue Mountains. HREF probability of snowfall rates
greater than 1"/hour is around 40% for these areas on Tuesday, and
40-70% in the southern WA and all of the OR Cascades Tuesday
night. Even the HREF probability for rates greater than 2"/hour
for the OR Cascades is 30-40% for Tuesday night. This combined
with the strong winds--very strong along exposed ridges--is a high
impact situation for hazardous travel.
A few of the Winter Weather Advisories were upgraded to a Winter
Storm Warning in effect this evening through Wednesday
afternoon--the southern Blue Mtns and the John Day-Ochoco
Highlands. Latest QPF and snow amounts have pushed accumulations
into the warning criteria. Winter Weather Advisories are now in
effect for Wallowa County,Grande Ronde Valley, southern Blue
Mountain Foothills, the John Day Basin and Central Oregon from
Tuesday morning through Wednesday afternoon. As the cold front
approaches and lower snow levels down to around 2000 feet, these
areas will have light to moderate snow. There is high confidence
that most of Wallowa County will observe 4-7" of new snow while
the other sites will observe 2-4". All of these areas will have
gusty winds with gusts to 35 mph...locally 50 mph. There is a good
chance of blowing and drifting of snow, but not blizzard
conditions as the fresh powdery snow will not be as significant
compared to the very heavy snowfall in the Cascades and northern
Blues. Wister/85
.LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday...The period of active
weather this week will continue into the first half of the
weekend, with low-mod confidence in precipitation chances and
snow accumulations tapering off into the beginning of next week.
That said, there is low-moderate confidence in temperatures
struggling to warm above freezing beginning Friday through early
next week.
Thursday into the first half of Friday a relative lull in
precipitation will develop across the area as the PacNW sits
under northwest flow aloft. However, there is moderate confidence
of light mountain snow continuing, especially in those areas of
favorable upslope flow in the Cascades and in the northern Blues.
As for snow amounts in these areas, ensemble guidance is in
agreement on a 40-65% chance of 4 inches in snow accumulations
across the mountains by Friday afternoon.
Late Friday into early Sunday, ensemble guidance is in relatively
good agreement in a one-two punch of a short duration atmospheric
river (AR) pushing into the PacNW Friday night(55-75% chance of
150IVT pushing inland), followed by an arctic type low pressure
system diving across the area Saturday. The combination of these
two systems will result in a 45-65% chance of most of the lower
elevations seeing 2 inches or more in snow accumulations, though
looking at 4 inches, chances are widespread with anywhere from
15% to 45% across lower elevation zones. As for the mountains, at
this time ensemble guidance is projecting a 50-60% chance of 6
inches of snow accumulations in the Cascades, Blues, and Wallowas.
I do want to note that while the majority of ensemble guidance is
in favor of the above AR scenario, there is about 15% of the
total members that don't show this surge in moisture Friday into
Saturday, resulting in very little snowfall for the lower
elevations and mountains during this period (confidence very low
(10%) in this scenario).
Late Sunday into Monday, ensemble guidance is in agreement in
ridging building off the west coast, resulting in very little
precipitation chances across the forecast area during this period.
Starting early Friday, temperatures will also be on a downward
trend beginning with a weak back-door cold front that works it's
way into the intermountain west, and allowing for a very cold
airmass to continually filter into the region into early next
week. While there is moderate confidence (60%) in the downward
trend in temperatures, there is low confidence (25%) in how low
temperatures will be during this period. Starting as early as
Friday, ensemble guidance comes in large disagreement in how low
high temperatures will be each day, with the range between the
25th and 75th percentiles averaging 20-25 degrees each day for
most areas across the forecast area. While this does infer great
uncertainty, ensemble guidance overall is showing 70-100% chances
of high temperatures below freezing for the northern two-thirds
of the forecast area Friday through Sunday. As for the southern
areas (central OR, John Day Basin, Ochocos) these chances for high
temperatures less than 32 degrees are between 40-60% Friday
through Sunday. As we get closer in time, model guidance will gain
more certainty into how low temperatures will actually be over the
weekend. Lawhorn/82
.AVIATION...00Z TAFS...Variable conditions as low as IFR are
anticipated through the period. A weather system moving through
the area is currently bringing rain and snow impacts to sites PDT/
YKM/PSC, with impacts periodic at sites DLS/ALW. Expect
precipitation impacts to continue overnight at most sites, with
mostly rain at sites PDT/ALW/PSC through the period, a rain/snow
mix developing at sites DLS/YKM tomorrow morning, and snow
impacts at sites RDM/BDN by tomorrow morning. The combination of
snow and wind at sites RDM/BDN will also result in reduced
visibilities, with the possibility of less than 1SM possible with
greater snow rates. CIGS tonight are expected to be between 1kft
to 3kft AGL through early tomorrow morning, with CIGS becoming
5kft to 10kft AGL by tomorrow afternoon. Winds will be increasing
to 20-30kts with gusts 30-45kts developing by tomorrow morning.
Low level wind shear is also expected to impact most sites
tonight, with wind shear up to 2kft from the west between 40-55kt.
Wind shear is expected to diminish after 12-15Z. Lawhorn/82
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 36 47 31 38 / 70 50 50 60
ALW 37 46 32 39 / 90 60 60 70
PSC 37 49 35 44 / 70 30 30 30
YKM 30 47 27 42 / 50 40 40 10
HRI 37 51 34 43 / 60 30 40 50
ELN 29 41 27 38 / 60 50 40 10
RDM 31 41 24 35 / 60 80 90 50
LGD 28 39 26 35 / 100 100 70 90
GCD 31 42 25 34 / 60 100 80 80
DLS 38 46 35 43 / 80 90 80 60
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Wind Advisory from 4 AM Tuesday to 1 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ041-
044-049-505-510-511.
Winter Weather Advisory from 10 AM Tuesday to 4 PM PST Wednesday
for ORZ049-505-508-511.
Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ050.
Blizzard Warning until 10 AM PST Wednesday for ORZ502.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ503-506.
High Wind Warning from 1 AM Tuesday to 1 PM PST Wednesday for
ORZ507-508.
Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM PST this afternoon for ORZ509.
Blizzard Warning from 4 AM Tuesday to 4 PM PST Wednesday for
ORZ509.
WA...Wind Advisory from 4 AM Tuesday to 1 PM PST Wednesday for WAZ024-
026>029.
Blizzard Warning until 10 AM PST Wednesday for WAZ030.
High Wind Warning from 1 AM Tuesday to 1 PM PST Wednesday for
WAZ521.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM PST Tuesday for WAZ522-523.
Blizzard Warning from 4 AM Tuesday to 10 AM PST Wednesday for
WAZ522-523.
&&
SHORT TERM...85
LONG TERM....82
AVIATION...82The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow, 3 winter storm, 3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter 10 miles south Ukiah reported 9 inches of storm total snow at 1329 PST on Jan. 10th. A forest service ranger reported 9 inches of storm total snow at 1346 PST on Jan. 10th.
The Ochoco Meadows SNOTEL measured 9 inches of storm total snow at 0903 PST on Jan. 10th. A Cocorahs site about 13 miles south southwest of Canyon City measured 6.2 inches of new snow over a 24 hour period ending at 0700 PST on Jan. 10th.
A Cocorahs observer 9.8 miles north of Elgin measured 13 inches of new snow in a 24 hour period ending at 0735 PST on Jan 10th. A public report from the Tollgate Store in Tollgate indicated 13 inches of new snow fell in a 4 hour period, in which during this time blizzard conditions were also reported in Tollgate. The Oregon Department of Transportation also closed down Interstate 84 between Pendleton and La Grande for over 3 hours due to blowing and drifting snow as well as multiple vehicle spin outs the morning of Jan. 10th.
The ASOS KPDT measured a 58 mph wind gust at 1353 PST on Jan 9th. The mesonet station OD184 measured a 60 mph wind gust at 0222 PST on Jan 9th.
The mesonet station DW1028 Ajax measured a wind gust of 66 mph at 1730 PST on Jan 9th. The mesonet station DW0310 Olex measured a wind gust of 63 mph at 0145 PST on Jan 10th.
The North Pole Ridge RAWs measured a 60 mph gust at 0348 PST on Jan 9th. The mesonet station DVI10649 The Dalles measured a 60 mph gust at 0045 PST on Jan 10th.
A cocorahs observer 2 miles west northwest of Sisters measured 9.5 inches of new snow in a 24 hour period ending at 0600 PST on Jan. 10th. A trained spotter 6 miles south southwest of Three Rivers reported 14 inches of new snow in 36 hours ending at 1015 PST on Jan. 10th. ODOT reported high winds and whiteout conditions through Santiam Pass around 1100 PST on Jan 9th. A member of the public reported whiteout conditions at Lava Butte Pass along US 97, with winds gusting between 38 to 43 mph and blowing snow for several hours ending at 1500 PST on Jan 9th.
The Cocorahs site 25 miles north northeast of Wallowa measured 8 inches of new snow at 0930 PST on Jan 9th.The Cocorahs site 2.5 miles south southwest of Wallowa measured 6.5 inches of storm total- snow at 0730 PST on Jan 10th. a member of the public 3 miles outh of Enterprise reported white out conditions with drifting snow between Joseph and Enterprise at 1720 PST.
The Cocorahs observer in Elgin recorded 6.7 inches of new snow in 36 hours ending at 0730 PST on Jan. 10th. A trained spotter 5 miles north of La Grande recorded 9 inches of storm total snow at 0906 PST on Jan. 10th.
A Cocorahs observer 1.5 miles west southwest of Bend reported 9 inches of storm total snow at 0700 PST on Jan 10th. A Cocorahs observer 6.5 miles west of Redmond reported 8.7 inches of new snow in 24 hours ending at 0700 PST on Jan. 10th. Several Cocorahs observers between Redmond, Bend, and Prineville reported snow amounts between 4 to 9 inches the morning of Jan. 10th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 2024
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: 1161591, 1161594, 1161629, 1161566, 1161573, 1161575, 1161844, 1161587, 1161841, 1161852.