Does It Snow in Oregon? Snowiest Places and Average Amounts

Does it snow in Oregon? Though Oregon’s climate is surprisingly mild given how far north it is, the state receives snow in many areas. Here are the snowiest places in the state.

Oregon’s Climate

Oregon has two climates. The west of the state enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with summers that are warm and dry and winters that are cloudy and wet. In contrast, the climate in the east of the state is cold and semi-arid. Areas west of the Cascade Mountain Range often experience bitterly cold, snowy winters. In fact, there are a handful of ski resorts in the area.

Crater Lake

Prized for its sapphire blue water, this lake is what’s left of Mount Mazama, a volcano that collapsed about 7,700 years ago. Found in Klamath County in the south of the state, Crater is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,949 feet. This deep lake has no inlet or outlet, and it is replenished by both rain and snow. In 1950, it received the greatest snowfall the state has ever seen. In that year, 903 inches of snow fell on Crater Lake. On average, the area receives an amazing annual snowfall of 463 inches, with the snow cover averaging 11.58 feet. This immense snowfall is due in large part to the Aleutian Low, a low-pressure system that comes down from the Aleutian Islands during the winter. It’s possible for Crater Lake to get snow even in the summer months, and snow that falls in the winter often doesn’t melt until the middle of July.

Mount Hood Meadow

Found in Hood River County, this area near the Washington state border gets about 322 inches of snow every year, with a snow covering of 79 inches on average. There are 16 snowfall days a year, on average, around Mount Hood Meadows. Mount Hood itself is covered in snow all year round and supports 12 glaciers. Because of this, you can ski all year at Mount Hood.

Mount Bachelor

One of the Cascade Mountains’ dormant volcanoes, and one of Oregon’s snowiest places, Mount Bachelor gets around 374 inches of snow every year on average. Found in east central Oregon, it has 69 snowfall days and the snow depth on the mountain is 69 inches. It snows eight months out of the year at Mount Bachelor, and December is the snowiest month with 96 inches of snow.

Sisters

Named for the famous Cascade peaks called the Three Sisters, this town gets an average of 32 inches of snow per year. However, during the winter of 1992 to 1993, snow began in December and didn’t stop until March of 1993. Not only this, but the winter was unusually cold, and the snow wouldn’t melt. Eventually, there were accumulations of over 100 inches.

Sunriver

The town of Sunriver is on the eastern banks of Oregon’s Deschutes River. Though it has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers, Sunriver gets about 60 inches of snow per year, with January and February being the snowiest months.

LaPine

Found in Deschutes County in central Oregon, LaPine is one of the snowiest places in the state. It gets an average snowfall of around 81 inches per year.

Bend

Bend is the county seat of Deschutes County and one of the larger cities in the Cascade Range, with a population of about 198,253. Its annual snowfall is about 33.8 inches, and its depth usually doesn’t exceed 2 feet.

Astoria

Along with places in the Cascade Range, towns along the coast also get a healthy bit of snow in the winter. Astoria, the state’s oldest city is found on the Columbia River’s southern shore where it meets the Pacific Ocean. It has a Mediterranean climate, and its winters are cool as opposed to bitingly cold. Snowfall is usually sparse, and the average is only 2 to 3 inches a year. However, every now and then, this city gets a great deal of snowfall. For example, Astoria experienced a cumulative snowfall of over 27 inches at the end of December 1969.

Klamath Falls

The county seat of Klamath County is Klamath Falls, found on the Link River Falls. It is famous for receiving an abundance of sunshine during the year, though it has a high desert climate. Its winters are both cold and snowy, making it one of the snowiest places in the state. The average annual snowfall is about 36.5 inches, and between July 1955 and June 1956, 100 inches of snow fell!