The wait is over for the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s inaugural Snowplow Naming Contest. Nearly 16,000 people participated in the ranked-choice voting portion of the contest from Jan. 13 - 22. The results have been tallied to reveal the five winning snowplow names!
And the winners are....
The Big Leplowski, submitted by Bryson Helble
Beverly Clear-y, submitted by Elizabeth Mara
Brrrrnside, submitted by Sherri P.
Salt and Thaw, submitted by Arpita K.
Plowy McPlowface, submitted by anonymous
There was most likely more than one submission for each of these names. Shoutout to everyone who submitted one of the winning names, but we’re honoring the person who submitted the name first.
Five out of 56 snowplows
Thank you to everyone who participated in Portland's first ever snowplow naming contest! Because of you, Portland’s creative and fun spirit spread throughout the city over the past month and a half. Not only that, but we hope more Portlanders know (and tell everyone they know) that Portland has 56 snowplows ready to respond to winter weather!
Check out our snowplow name reveal video on YouTube where five PBOT Snowplow drivers helped us announce the winning names. You'll also find it on our social media channels, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
When PBOT responds to snow and ice, crews are in 24-hour emergency response operations, working 12-hour shifts. But for the rest of the year, snowplow drivers work a variety of jobs: maintaining gravel streets, paving roads, filling potholes, driving sweeper trucks for street cleaning and Leaf Day operations and more!
PBOT is ready for the chance of snow this week, you should be too
While the contest may be over, we encourage you to continue following along with PBOT throughout the winter season and the rest of the year.
PBOT is the lead agency for the city's winter weather response. View our preparedness tips and resources at Portland.gov/winter. Stay up to date on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and X where you’ll find us @PBOTinfo and sign up for email and text Winter Weather updates.
The public should be prepared for worse conditions than is forecast, including more snow and snowfall that arrives earlier or later than expected. Forecasts come with uncertainty, and weather forecasters have difficulty predicting snow in the Portland area.
Be prepared to travel based on the conditions you encounter during your trip, including carrying traction devices like chains and an emergency weather kit in your vehicle.
During winter weather, PBOT works to keep vital public transit lines and emergency routes open. These snow and ice routes are the most critical for our city’s police and fire stations, hospitals, schools, frequent bus routes, the downtown core, and major business districts.
Snowplow names are loading...
Stay tuned for when we reveal these five names on PBOT snowplows later this year. Check out our Winter Weather Center for an interactive map of our snow and ice routes and you might even spot one of the five newly-named snowplows driving around the map!
Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation
