Snowy Hazards in Oregon Coast Range as Portland, Eugene, SW Washington Get Dusting

Published 01/31/25 at 4:56 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – Most parts of western Washington and Oregon are staring down the likelihood of some amounts of snow over the weekend and into the early week, with a good chance the lower and higher elevations of Vancouver, Portland and Eugene get a dusting. The Oregon Coast Range and Willapa Hills are definitely going to get hit by snow, and parts are under a winter weather storm warning.

Altogether, however, the National Weather Service (NWS) does not expect travel to be impacted along the I-5 Corridor or even the Coast Range. Mostly, it's going to be rain for valley towns and the Oregon / Washington coast, but some inland cities will see a harmless dusting – and usually overnight.

The timeline starts Friday, with a winter storm warning for the north Oregon Coast Range and Willapa Hills, in effect from late Friday through late Saturday. That includes Highway 26 and Highway 6, with total accumulation of four inches at the upper areas, and snow levels reaching down as low as 500 feet on Saturday.

See  Oregon Coast Weather (including tides) - Inland Oregon Weather

Roads may get icy and hazardous then, the NWS said.

Snow starts in earnest inland about Saturday night and goes through Monday and Tuesday.

Bandon in the snow, courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more

For Washington's central coast and Lower Chehalis Valley Area, the winter storm watch is in effect from Saturday through Monday morning, bringing 2 to 9 inches of snow at times.

On the southern Oregon coast and Coast Range, the forecast is similar, with snow levels dropping down to 1100 feet on Monday but then down to 900 feet Tuesday. Areas like Bandon, Gold Beach and Brookings will get some rather strong winds over the weekend, with gusts as high as 45 mph.

“Currently there are no signs of a high impact snowstorm for the Cascades or Coast Range,” the NWS said. “While the Cascades and Coast Range will see snow, the lowland will deal with persistent rain. Storm total precipitation for the Willamette Valley look to range from 0.75 to 1.50 inches with 1.30 to 2.25 inches along the coast.”

Highway 26, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

The NWS said the majority of snowfall in the valley will be overnight and generally sticking only to grassy areas. It will melt after sunrise.

“The West Hills in Portland are more likely to see 1-2 inches of snow (worst case scenario would be 3-4 inches; however the chance of this occurring is only at 10%),” the NWS said.

Portland

There are greater chances for snow farther south along the I-5 corridor in the early week.

“The long term forecast is highlighted by a cool and showery weather pattern with low snow levels, likely down to the valley floor or very near the valley floor at times (500 ft or less, except 500-1000 ft in the southern Willamette Valley and for the central Oregon coast),” the NWS said.

Areas above 1000 feet will see more snow that sticks.

Overall, travel shouldn't be affected in urban areas, although there is a slim chance some spots could see the moisture on the street freeze early in the day and become ice.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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