Oregon, 1998

Hail and Heavy Rain in Oregon, May 4, 1998

May 4, 1998 · NWS PDT · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Pendleton radar (KPDT), 219 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.

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Event by event

2 hail, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Crook

When
May 4, 2:25 PM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where
Crook County, Prineville to Post
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
44.300, -120.830

Thunderstorms moved through Crook County with strong wind, hail, and heavy rain. In the town of Post, 0.70 inches of rain fell in 50 minutes with 1/3 inch hail and wind gusts to 30 mph. In Prineville, 1/4 to 1 inch hail covered the ground to a depth of one inch in places, up to 1.15 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes, and the wind gusted to 60 mph. The road from Post to Prineville had rock and mud slides on it.

Heavy Rain, Grant

When
May 4, 4:25 PM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Grant County, Kimberly
Coordinates
44.491, -119.007 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A thunderstorm produced 1/4 inch hail in Kimberly. 0.90 inches of rain fell in one hour five miles south of Kimberly. Rock and mud slides were reported eight miles south of Kimberly.

Heavy Rain, Wheeler

When
May 4, 4:40 PM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where
Wheeler County, Waterman
Coordinates
44.726, -120.027 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A thunderstorm produced heavy rain and 1/4 inch hail that covered the ground in Mitchell. The heavy rain washed out some culverts along the west branch of Bridge Creek south of Mitchell.

Hail, Union

When
May 4, 5:10 PM PST to 5:40 PM PST
Where
Union County, La Grande to Meacham
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
45.330, -118.080

Hail up to 1 1/4 inches fell in the La Grande area. Up to 0.52 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes. Hail was still on the ground two hours later along a seven mile stretch of I-84 west of La Grande.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5641431, 5641433, 5641434, 5641432.