Blizzard in Oregon, November 28, 2001

Name: Blizzard in Oregon, November 28, 2001
Start: 2001-11-28T05:00
End: 2001-11-28T12:00
Location: Oregon

November 28, 2001 · NWS PDT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A blizzard struck Wallowa County during the morning. A wind gust of 64 mph was recorded at 10:30 am 3 miles north of Joseph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
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 blizzard struck Wallowa County during the morning. A wind gust of 64 mph was recorded at 10:30 am 3 miles north of Joseph. 20 large trees were downed a Wallowa Lake State Park, which is 7 mile north of Joseph. One tree fell across a summer cabin, causing extensive damage. Power was lost to the state park for 10 hours as power lines were cut by falling trees in several places. Law enforcement reported blizzard conditions along highway 82 between Minam and Joseph. During the late morning and early afternoon, visibilities were reduced to 500 feet as 3 to 8 inches of snow fell along this route. Over higher terrain in the northern part of the county, snow amounts were higher. One foot of snow fell in Flora at an elevation of 4400 feet.The Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon also experienced blizzard conditions. By late morning, every road across the northern Blue Mountains was closed. Numerous fallen trees closed Highway 204 near Tollgate. Interstate-84 became impassable near Meacham due to winds and poor visibility. Highway 395 was closed near Battle Mountain due to an overturned tractor-trailer.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 28, 3:00 AM PST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 3:00 AM PST, 2 hours before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
300 AM PST WED NOV 28 2001

MID AND UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO THE CWA AHEAD OF
THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM. IT HAS BEEN SNOWING AT REDMOND SINCE
MIDNIGHT. SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA TODAY. THERE WILL BE
SIGNIFICANT WARM AIR ADVECTION...PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTHERN OREGON
ZONES...BUT THERE IS SUFFICIENT COLD AIR IN PLACE THAT THE
PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS SNOW AND THEN CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN OR
RAIN THIS AFTERNOON...BECOMING ALL RAIN AT LOW ELEVATIONS TONIGHT.
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE LESS ALONG THE BLUE...OCHOCO AND
WALLOWA MOUNTAINS...BUT STILL ENOUGH TO WARRANT SNOW ADVISORIES
THERE. TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL BE STEADY OR RISING IN MANY
LOCATIONS BECAUSE THE WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL AFTER
THE COLD FRONT PASSES EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. STRONG PRESSURE
GRADIENTS OVER THE BLUES AND GRANDE RONDE VALLEY WILL PRODUCE VERY
WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY TODAY WITH THE TERRAIN
NEAR LADD AND PYLES CANYONS CREATING GUSTS TO 60 MPH. THERE WILL BE
SOME RAIN SHADOW DRYING ON THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CASCADES THURSDAY
AFTER THE FRONT PASSES...PARTICULARLY IN OREGON...BUT IT WILL BE
SHORT LIVED AS THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL RAPIDLY MOVE IN THURSDAY
EVENING.   COONFIELD

EXTENDED...THE TROUGH PASSING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WILL KEEP
A CHANCE OF PRECIP IN THE FORECAST. WEAK SHORT WAVE RIDGING ON
FRIDAY WILL BEGIN TO DRY THINGS OUT ACROSS THE AREA...STARTING FROM
THE SOUTH.  HOWEVER...A QUICK MOVING SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE
CASCADES FRIDAY NIGHT.  EXPECT PATTERN OF PACIFIC SYSTEMS EVERY
24-48 HOURS TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED PERIOD.  NO CHANGES
TO EXTENDED PORTION OF FORECAST. MITTELSTADT

PDT 874  ALW 874  PSC 863  YKM +63

.KPDT...WSR-88D...VCP21/CSR21...OPERATIONAL.

.KPDT...HEAVY SNOW WARNING TODAY FOR OREGON
        ZONES 42...43 AND WASHINGTON ZONE 25...26 AND 27...
     ...A SNOW ADVISORY TODAY FOR OREGON ZONES 46...47...50 AND
        WASHINGTON ZONE 30...
     ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR
        WASHINGTON ZONE 24 AND OREGON ZONES 41...
     ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR WASHINGTON ZONES
        28...29 AND OREGON ZONES 44...45...
     ...HIGH WIND WATCH TODAY FOR OREGON ZONE 49...

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Wallowa County

When: November 28, 5:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Wallowa County forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.445, -117.595 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Blue Mountains

When: November 28, 5:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Blue Mountains forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, November 2001

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: 5272752, 5272753.