High Wind in Oregon, February 5 to 6, 1999

One of the stronger Pacific storms of the winter season resulted in damaging winds when it moved over the coastal area and interiors of NW Oregon and SW Washington. One of the more dramatic events associated with this storm was the destruction of a Keizer, Oregon mobile home. It was crushed by a wind-toppled 200 foot-tall Douglas Fir tree. Many thousands of residents were without power at various times as falling limbs and trees cut power lines. At higher elevations in the Cascade mountains, very strong wind gusts were reported. Mt Bachelor ski area reported a wind gust of 120 MPH. Mt Hood Meadows ski area reported a 103 MPH wind gust. No injuries were reported but resort operations were shut down. During the height of this storm, the National Weather Service's Doppler radar, located just NW of the Portland area, detected winds at 110 MPH at the 7000 foot elevation level.