Snow set to return to Oregon mountain passes this weekend with light rain in valley

Zach Urness, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read
Snow is expected to impact travel on Santiam Pass Friday and into the weekend.
Snow is expected to impact travel on Santiam Pass Friday and into the weekend.

Snow is expected to return to Oregon's Cascade Range following an extended dry stretch, with around 6 to 12 inches falling this weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

The snow will be a welcome sight, as the snowpack in Oregon has declined below normal levels in the northwest part of the state.

The first batch of snow to hit the mountain passes should arrive Friday, when anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow is forecast for the Santiam Pass (Highway 20) and Willamette Pass (Highway 58). A few flurries could fall in Government Camp on Mount Hood, but more snow will fall above 4,000 feet.

After a drier Saturday, another round of snowfall is expected Sunday, with around 3 to 5 inches forecast.

Winds could also be gusty, at least on Friday, when winds of 19 to 24 mph are projected and gusts up to 33 mph.

“It’s not a huge weather event, and we could definitely use a lot more snow, but for now we’ll take it,” said Clinton Rockey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland. “The good news is that we should have a few more systems come through next week that should bring a little bit more snow, mainly above 3,500 feet.”

The Willamette Valley will mostly see light rain on Friday and Sunday.

The dry and cool weather is caused by a high-pressure ridge off the Pacific Northwest that’s deflected storms to the north. That ridge has now started to break down and should make room for a collection of wetter systems into next week.

Snowpack has declined to 89% of normal in the central Cascades, and in the mid 90% in Central Oregon and around Mount Hood. Normal is considered the average from 1990 to 2020, and “normal” is now much lower than it was in earlier time periods, such as when it measured the average snowpack between 1980 and 2010.

Snowpack in Oregon has declined below normal in the northwest part of the state.
Snowpack in Oregon has declined below normal in the northwest part of the state.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon weather forecast: Snow to return to mountain passes