Cool Wind Leaves Snow Trail in the Pacific Northwest

The bright, sunny weather that blanketed most of the Pacific Northwest last week swiftly faded as snow began to fall in the region. The storm system that dumped a record amount of snow on the Pacific Northwest arrived on Sunday night, delivering plenty of snow into Monday. Many locals were taken aback by the amount of snowfall this late in the year.

"I have never seen this much snow in the Portland/Vancouver region in my 53 years," Winde Bekins Chavez of Vancouver, Washington, told AccuWeather.

Snowfall

Chavez started her day at 4:30 a.m., taking her husband to Portland International Airport and seeing the unusual snowfall in the early morning hours. As of Monday morning, Portland International Airport received 1 inch of snow, the city's first measurable snowfall in April.

The roads were clogged with snow during Chavez's commute, but she said it was fortunate that there was so little traffic that early.

"Everyone I came across was keeping safe distances from one another and driving safely," Chavez stated.

Chavez reported the snow as heavy and moist, adding that trees in her area began to shed limbs at about 9 a.m. on Monday. She spent the morning "cleaning snow off of my garden trees and the roofs of my construction trailer and boathouse," she stated.

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Way Past the Season

Typically, the season's last snow falls on February 9; however, significant snow has fallen in March on a few occasions, most recently in 2020. However, the city has only gotten appreciable snow after March on two previous occasions. On May 1, 1953, Portland got 0.1 inches of snow, followed by half an inch on May 8.

"I prefer snowy weather...in December or January," Portland resident Nicholas Nelson told AccuWeather. "But this snow feels out of place in April."

Temperature Drop

On Thursday, April 7, high temperatures in Portland reached 75 degrees Fahrenheit, generating a weather snafu for folks in the Pacific Northwest.

"I was mowing my yard in shorts on Thursday...and today I was shoveling snow and preserving my blooming trees," Chavez added.

Temperatures dropped to 34 degrees early Monday morning, a 41-degree difference from last Thursday.

"Up until this morning, my front yard was flowering with plenty of wildflowers, and I think many local gardeners won't be thrilled with this weather," Nelson remarked.

The city of Dalles, Oregon, has received the most snow from the storm as of Monday afternoon, with 15 inches. Snowfall totals of almost a foot were reported in Snowden, the highest from Washington.

Storm Progression

As the storm progresses into North and South Dakota and Minnesota on Tuesday night, heavy snow will likely be in parts of Utah, Idaho, and Montana.

Forecasters predict further snow for the Portland region through Wednesday.

"As another storm moves inland over the Northwest, the air will be chilly enough to allow another dose of accumulating snow to fall near sea level along with areas of the Oregon and southern Washington coasts Wednesday morning," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

Snow Accumulation

According to Sosnowski, a one-inch or two-inch accumulation is most likely at low elevations, while several inches can accumulate on hilltops and mountains.