The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-11-24
RECORD STORM
HITS VALLEY
PRECIPITATION is UNPRECEDENTED
SIeet and Snow Bury Town and Valley
Cutting OF Communication Storm
Comes Without Warning

Weather history was made over the
id-Columbia over the week end. The
snow sand sleet storm that prevailed,
according to oldtImers, was unprece-
deuted for continual intensity over a
! long period and for the amount of wa
ter precipitation carried in the icy
showers. Up to Sunday night, when
| the storm was not yet AZ hours old the
solid blanket, almost as hard a. a cake
of ice, was 80 inches deep, the snow
and sleetfall representing $50 inches
when reduced to water. This means
| that floods are going to follow in case
the storm breaks up in change to
warmer weather and a continued CHI
nook wind. At this season the tenn
perature may be expected to rise
materially.
The storm was sprung with sudden
ness and without warning. At o
O'Clock Friday night heavy downpour
of rain, such as is usually anticipated
at this season and driven by a strong
west wind was prevailing. Like a flash
the wind whipped to the east and be-
fore 10 O'Clock snow was failing in
great volume. Citizens who had visit
ed the picture shows, returned to their
automobiles to find them covered with
snow. By morning eight inches OF
snow covered the earth.
Still citizens did not take the storm
seriously. They thought it one of the
sudden fall flurries that end as quickly
as they begin. Boreas, however, and
all his minions seemed released. and
the storm swept on throughout Satur-
day, Saturday night and Sunday. Nu-
merous motorists attempted the High
way Saturday. They have lived to re-
gret their journeys. 1t was reported
Saturday night that rs automobiles
we're stuck between Cascade Locks and
Multnomah Falls. About Is machines
were stalled between here and Mosier.
Ten of the blockaded motor parties
found a safe retreat in the Twin Tun-
nels.
The westbound O..W. r. & N. limit.
ed Saturday afternoon was the last
train to pass through after the storm
began. 1t was snowbound at Multno-
NAH Falls.
Telegraph sand telephone wires went
down. Sunday a single railroad wire
worked internationally between here
and Portland, but no commercial mess
ages were forwarded Hood River
was without mail and information of
the outside world.
The snow blocked valley roads and
city streets and for a time a milk
famine. dairymen being unable TO
make deliveries, caused worry to fam
lilies with small children.
The suddenness of the storm caught
| many families without adequate fuel
supply. Rev. and Mrs. G. W. Kennedy
were caught without fuel at their
home Just west of the city. They
were removed to the home of Edward
Thornton, where they found comfort
during the storm. The depth and
weight of the snow alarmed many citl-
zens Sunday, and E. A. Franz opened
his store for a time Sunday, IN order
that snow shovels might be available.
Many shoveled with feverish haste the
weight from fiat topped homes. The
chief occupation of the city Monday
was removing the weight Of the blan
ket from roofs and shoveling paths in
the business district.
The snowstorm ended Monday night
with heavy downpour of rain which
left a thick crust on the heavily packed
sleet. Leroy Childs reports that to-
tai of exactly 80 inches OF sleet ana
snow fell, all but .53 of an inch of the
icy precipitation being dry sleet. The
water volume of the precipitation
measured nine inches.
The sun began shining early Tuesday
morning and by afternoon the sky was
fairly clear, the sun shining brilliant
ly. A high chinook, the effects of
which were visible in the removal of
snow from trees on high points of the
Columbia gorge began blowing around
Parkdale Tuesday morning. The
chinook gradually came lower over the
valley. Orchardists fear that heavy
percentage of the young pear trees
planted in the district the past season
to replace the apple trees killed by the
heavy freeze of December, 1919, will
have to be reset. The heavy crust of
the snow blanket. it is said will ruin
the young trees when a thaw occurs.