Seattle, Portland buried in heavy snowfall

Winter storm warnings are still in effect across parts of Oregon as the second round of heavy snowfall ice continues in a one-two punch of winter storms takes aim at the Pacific Northwest.

Although snow was generally light in Seattle and Portland Thursday and during the day on Friday, some areas nearby received accumulating snow. In Olympia, Washington, southwest of Seattle, half a foot of snow fell Thursday. By the end of the day on Friday, Seattle observed 2.2 inches of snow and Portland had tallied up 3.3 inches, respectively.

As moisture continued to stream in from the Pacific Ocean Friday night and Saturday, snow and ice continued to fall at an increasingly higher rate along the Interstate 5 corridor in western Washington, Oregon and northern California. Some snowfall amounts, by midday on Saturday surpassed the 12-inch mark.

As snow continued throughout the day in Seattle and Portland, daily record snowfall totals were observed in both cities. The 8.9 inches of snow that fell in Seattle on Saturday also tied a record for the 12th snowiest day on record.

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Snow and ice is expected to continue through Saturday night to early Sunday.

Although travel conditions should begin to improve along I-5 between Seattle and Portland through the day on Sunday, the recent snow and ice that fell can still lead to longer commute times.

But with this second storm, snow is not the only culprit. Ice reports came piling on Saturday, showing some towns and Oregon accumulated over 0.75" of ice since Friday. As of Saturday evening, over 225,000 customers were without power in Oregon.

Ice is the most hazardous precipitation type, as everything can become glazed. This was evident in Dallas Thursday, when ice caused a pileup involving dozens of vehicles. When ice accumulates on trees and power lines, the extra weight can sometimes cause them to fall, especially when wind is also a factor. This was the case in and around the Portland area as wind gusts of 20-40 miles per hour were common while the freezing rain was coming down.

Rain and snow showers are likely to persist through the day on Sunday, but more rain versus snow showers are expected as temperatures climb into the middle and upper 30s.

"With this next system, snow levels are likely to rise, allowing most of the I-5 corridor to miss out on significant snow this time. However, travel through the passes in the Cascades may remain difficult through Tuesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda stated.

In the Cascades, snow accumulations again could top out over one foot, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 36 inches.

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