Record Snowfall In 1980
Frank L. reminded me yesterday that this is the 27th anniversary of one of the biggest snowfalls in Hood River's recorded history. In 1980, a massive snowstorm hit the area, setting records in town with 6.5 inches on Jan 8, 47 inches on Jan 9, and 18 inches on Jan 10. Totals were considerably deeper at higher elevations. I was living in Odell at the time and drifts were easily up to 7 feet deep.
If you were here at the time, what were your experiences?
I was there and I find it irritating how wrong all the reports are on the internet. My 40X60 shop lost its roof before it was over. the snow came down hard for 72 hours without stopping for a second, I almost lost the main house as the rafters were failing but because of the shop failure I looked before it was to late and took immediate action shoveling the roof. I had a burn barrel in my yard and I watched as the first hard snow started without let up I wondered if it could reach the top which it did and kept going. ALL single story houses were completely covered so that the only thing showing through the landscape were the few 2 story homes. The overhang from the eaves meet with the snow pilling up from the ground to cover completely all homes, all cars were so buried as to show no sign they were even there. I kept a piece of plywood in the front yard and every hour I would clear it off so I could record how fast the snow was coming down, it was so heavy I sometimes recorded 12 inch in 35 minutes. It was to heavy to keep an exact accurate total as snow quickly compacts to destroy the measurements, 7 foot was the official estimate at the time but by my measurements it might have been greater. I84 looked like an abandon field as it was shut down and so covered there was no trace of any road at all. Tucker rd where I lived was reduced to single lane and then all traffic was stopped as the radio said the police closed all traffic. the snow finally stopped for a very brief while to be followed by 3 days of non stop rain, if it had stayed cold we would still be digging out. I was there that's what happened
ReplyDeleteI lived in Hood River. It snowed for three days, we shoveled off our roof, folks skiied in town. Everything stopped and then it rained and practically all the snow disappeared. I think we missed 1 day of school. After that, no more snow all winter.
ReplyDeleteI too lived in Hood River, but only that one year. The snowflakes seemed huge! We shoveled off the roof, I jumped off into the snow, it was like powder in town. People did ski in town cause you couldn't drive (Hood River is hilly). And yes, then the rain. Back to school right away. Was the only snow in town all winter. A real break for us cause we only had space heaters and a fireplace in our rental, so it was a bearable winter. That one weekend was like a fantasy.
ReplyDelete