...the winter of 1948-1949. January of that season was so cold, it reminded a few of the local oldtimers of the horrible blizzard that struck the Midwest in 1888. Interestingly, the coldest day in the Gorge in 1949 occurred exactly 61 years to the day after the big blizzard, on January 12. An unusually long period of sustained cold, with a low of 7 degrees, had paralyzed the region – nothing even close to the -32 degree temperatures and blowing snow H. G. Miller experienced as a lad of 11 years in Dustin, Nebraska – but debilitating to the local marine-based economy nonetheless.
Most of the Pacific Northwest was similarly affected, some places were even colder, but the lower Columbia was freezing solid much more quickly than anyone had anticipated, which was a real problem. The January 12, 1949 issue of the Chronicle included an article about the predicament created by this cold snap. Power output was severely reduced at the dams, freight transport existed in a state of suspended animation, and even airmail deliveries were thrown off kilter:
Ice completely blocked the Columbia river channel from Big Eddy to Crates Point west of The Dalles late yesterday, ending all navigation in this area and hampering travel between the city and the airport. With The Dalles ferry icebound, the nearest rover crossing is the Hood River Bridge. Floe ice, crunching as it moved, filled the channel yesterday and froze together, leaving the surface smooth as compared to conditions during similar cold spells in previous years. The first signs of buckling, however, were reported from the Big Eddy area, late this forenoon. If continued, this process could result in huge ice jams, the latest of which occurred in the winter of 1943.
The article explained that all Pacific Northwest dams were processing drastically reduced volumes, which of course resulted in an immediate reduction in hydroelectric generating capacity. In plain language, a dam can't generate power if water doesn't pass through the turbines. At that point they were producing less than half the usual amount of electricity during a period of increased consumption. Addressing the freight issue, the article said an Inland Navigation boat was icebound at Bonneville and the Winquatt tug was also biding time downstream with its five barges in tow.
The Columbia River eventually thawed out, of course, and things returned to normal.