Name: High Wind in Oregon, September 25, 1999
Start: 1999-09-25T07:40
End: 1999-09-25T15:00
Location: Oregon

The toll

Deaths: 8
Injuries: 33
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.

A strong Pacific cold front associated with a deep low pressure system north of Washington State brought strong winds over Oregon and Washington during the morning and early afternoon. These high winds raised clouds of dust over the Columbia basin, reducing visibilities to less than a quarter mile over Umatilla and Morrow counties. At around 9:30 am PST, blowing dust caused several chain reaction accidents on Interstate 84 nine miles west of Pendleton. This dust was caused by winds that gusted as high as 53 mph, which was recorded at the Pendleton Airport's ASOS site. These accidents involved up to 50 automobiles and semi -trucks on both the east and westbound lanes and led to the closure of the Interstate for 10 hours. Six people were killed and dozens were injured in these accidents. Another accident with a fatality occurred at 10:48 am PST at exit 216, which is six miles east of Pendleton. During the day, the Dept of Transportation also closed State Highways 11 and 37; both of which lead from Pendleton.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains

When: September 25, 7:40 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Foothills of the Blue Mountains forecast zone
Deaths: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

High Wind, Lower Columbia Basin

When: September 25, 7:40 AM PST
Where: Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone
Injuries: 33 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	52	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	69	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	79	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	37	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	52	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	68	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	64	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains	1999-09-25	54	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, September 1999

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: 5717911, 5717912.