January 2012 Pacific Northwest snowstorm explained

January 2012 Pacific Northwest snowstorm
Stormtype:Extratropical cyclone
Winter storm
Blizzard
Ice storm
Date Formed:January 16, 2012
Date Dissipated:January 20, 2012
Maximum Amount:50inches snowfall — reported in Mount Hood Meadows, Oregon
Pressure:992mb
Image Location:Pacific NW after storm, satellite view.jpg
Image Name:Satellite view of Oregon and Washington on January 23, 2012, showing clouds and snow
Alt:High water from Mill Creek inducing minor flooding in Salem, Oregon
Total Damages (Usd):$50 million (2012 USD)
Power Outages:200,000
Total Fatalities:3 fatalities
Areas Affected:Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, British Columbia
Partof:the 2011–12 North American winter

The January 2012 Pacific Northwest snowstorm was a large extratropical cyclone that brought record snowfall to the Pacific Northwest in January 2012.[1] The storm produced very large snowfall totals, reaching up to 50inches in Oregon.[2] A 110abbr=onNaNabbr=on wind gust was reported at Otter Rock, Oregon.[3] A mother and child were killed in Oregon after the car they were in slid into a creek,[4] [5] while a man was killed in the Seattle area.[6] About 200,000 homes were without power in the Greater Seattle area after the storm.[6]

Meteorological synopsis

The storm was first noted just off the coast of British Columbia on January 16, with a central pressure of 1018mb.[7] The center of the low pressure area had then moved south to about 300miles off the Oregon Coast. At the same time, the storm had attained peak intensity of 992mb.[8] The storm then began to move closer to the coastline, and by 2000 UTC on January 18, the storm was located about 40miles off the coast of Washington.[3] By 0200 UTC the next day, 28.9inches of snow had already fallen in Stanley, Idaho.[9]

Impact

United States

The National Weather Service (NWS) began issuing severe weather warnings for the whole of the Pacific Northwest on January 17 and 18. A hurricane-force wind warning was issued for offshore Oregon at about 1600 UTC on January 18.[10] A storm warning was also issued for parts of California and Oregon.[11] Numerous flights were cancelled due to heavy snow and rain.[12] The NWS office in Missoula, Montana, said that this storm ranked in the top seven of the top snowfall events in the area.[13]

Interstate 5 near Centralia, Washington, was closed temporarily due to powerlines brought down by snowfall; the standard detour route was also blocked by trees and powerlines.[14] Amtrak service between Portland and Seattle was canceled due to trees and debris left on tracks.[15] More than 12 Oregon highways were closed due to storm damage, and many more were partly closed.[16] Oregon Route 213 near Molalla closed for several days due to an undermined roadbed beside a culvert.[17]

Non-winter weather events

Rainfall

A Pineapple Express event brought heavy precipitation to Western Oregon,[18] generally more so than to western Washington, with most precipitation in the form of rain instead of snow. Eugene broke its precipitation record for January 18, and Salem came within 0.07inches of breaking its record for January 19.[19] The weather was attributed to La Niña.[18]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Brown. Dan. Conditions Improving. 19 January 2012. WGGB. 17 January 2012. https://archive.today/20130209102245/http://www.wggb.com/2012/01/17/conditions-improving/. 9 February 2013. dead. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Storm Summary Number 7 for Western U.S. Winter Storm . Hydrometeorological Prediction Center . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . 21 May 2023 . dead . https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/storm_summaries/2012/storm1/stormsum_7.html . 4 December 2011 .
  3. Web site: Storm Summary Number 3 for Western U.S. Winter Storm . Hydrometeorological Prediction Center . NOAA . 19 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120101112135/http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc4.html . 1 January 2012 .
  4. News: Storm Paralyzes Northwest, Killing One . https://web.archive.org/web/20120122011633/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577170763820632198.html . 22 January 2012 . The Wall Street Journal . 19 January 2012 . dead .
  5. News: Wilson. Kimberly A.C.. Family member finds body of Albany woman in Periwinkle Creek. January 19, 2012. The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 19 January 2012.
  6. News: Child Dies During Pacific Northwest Storm. 19 January 2012. Huffington Post. 19 January 2012.
  7. Web site: North American surface analysis January 16, 2012 09z. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. NOAA. 19 January 2012.
  8. Web site: Storm Summary Number 2 for Western U.S. Winter Storm . Hydrometeorological Prediction Center . NOAA . 19 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111204000819/http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/storm1/stormsum_2.html . 4 December 2011 .
  9. Web site: Storm Summary Number 4 for Western U.S. Winter Storm . Hydrometeorological Prediction Center . NOAA . 19 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111203235707/http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/winter_storm_summaries/storm1/stormsum_4.html . 3 December 2011 .
  10. Web site: Hurricane Force Wind Warning . https://web.archive.org/web/20130313071052/http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Hurricane%20Force%20Wind%20Warning . dead . 13 March 2013 . National Weather Service . NOAA . 19 January 2012 .
  11. Web site: Storm Warning . https://web.archive.org/web/20111018192030/http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Storm%20Warning . dead . 18 October 2011 . National Weather Service . NOAA . 19 January 2012 .
  12. News: Winter storm cancels some flights to Pacific Northwest. 19 January 2012. Mercury News. 18 January 2012.
  13. Web site: Public Information Statement . https://archive.today/20240525164810/https://www.webcitation.org/64phjPEAI?url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php%3Fafos=xxxpnsmso&wfo=mso&print=yes . dead . 25 May 2024 . National Weather Service . NOAA . 20 January 2012 .
  14. Web site: Both directions of I-5 near Centralia back open . KPTV . 20 January 2012 . 20 January 2012.
  15. Web site: Amtrak service canceled between Portland and Seattle . KPTV . 20 January 2012 . 20 January 2012.
  16. Web site: ODOT's Oregon highway status report . KPTV . 20 January 2012 . 20 January 2012.
  17. Web site: Highway 213 could be closed in Molalla area for days . KPTV . 20 January 2012 . 20 January 2012.
  18. Web site: La Nina Slams Pacific Northwest – Editorial Blog . https://archive.today/20130203014636/http://community.statesmanjournal.com/blogs/editorialblog/2012/01/20/la-nina-slams-pacific-northwest/ . dead . February 3, 2013 . Community.statesmanjournal.com . January 19, 2012 . Steve . Pierce . 19 March 2012 .
  19. Web site: Quality Controlled Local Climatological Data. National Climatic Data Center. NOAA. 14 May 2013.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "January 2012 Pacific Northwest snowstorm".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.