Oregon, 2001Dust Storm in Oregon, September 25, 2001
September 25, 2001 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 dust storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 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 Sep 25, 7:45 AM PST, 4 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 7:45 AM PST, 4 hours before
NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
845 AM PDT TUE SEP 25 2001
UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHWEST OREGON WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL
AND EASTERN OREGON TODAY AND OPEN UP TO A SHORT WAVE. SATELLITE
LOOPS INDICATE THE LOW HAS AMPLE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
A SURFACE LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE COLUMBIA BASIN WILL DEVELOP RAPIDLY
TODAY. THE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE NORTH INTO SOUTHERN BRITISH
COLUMBIA BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON WITH A SOUTHERLY SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT INTENSIFYING DURING THE DAY OVER NORTHERN OREGON AND SOUTH
CENTRAL/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. THIS WILL RESULT IN SOUTHWEST SURFACE
WINDS INCREASING AS THE DAY WEARS ON...BECOMING BREEZY THIS
AFTERNOON. BREEZY SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS
EVENING. WITH THE DRY CONDITIONS THAT HAVE PERSISTED OVER THE REGION
RECENTLY THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SOME BLOWING DUST IN THE LOWER
COLUMBIA BASIN AND FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS TODAY. WILL KEEP
AN EYE ON THE SITUATION.
DYNAMIC LIFT AND UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER
SHORT WAVE WILL COMBINE WITH MARGINAL INSTABILITY TO TRIGGER
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...WHICH WILL SPREAD
NORTH OVER THE FORECAST AREA TODAY.
THE SURFACE LOW AND UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE INTO BRITISH
COLUMBIA TONIGHT. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL DECREASE AS THE
LOW EXISTS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...THUS SURFACE WINDS WILL DECREASE
OVERNIGHT. A FAST MOVING UPPER SHORT WAVE AND A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL
APPROACH THE WASHINGTON COAST TONIGHT AND THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS
NORTHWEST WASHINGTON ON WEDNESDAY. MOST OF THE ENERGY IN THIS SYSTEM
WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHWEST WASHINGTON...BUT THE EAST SLOPES OF THE
SOUTHERN WASHINGTON CASCADES WILL SEE SCATTERED SHOWERS FROM DYNAMIC
FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER SHORT WAVE. APPEARS THAT THE
KITTITAS AND YAKIMA VALLEYS WILL ALSO HAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FROM
THIS SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY. POLAN
PDT 430 ALW 430 PSC 320 YKM 431
.KPDT...WSR-88D...VCP21/CSR21...OPERATIONAL.
.KPDT...THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 636 WAS CANCELLED.
Dust Storm, Foothills of the Blue Mountains
- When
- September 25, 11:45 AM PST
- Where
- Foothills of the Blue Mountains forecast zone
- Injuries
- 5 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
Blowing dust contributed to an eight vehicle accident on State Highway 11 ten miles northeast of Pendleton. Windy conditions, combined with loose topsoil from a freshly plowed field, created blowing dust that locally reduced visibilities to less than 100 feet. A series of chain reaction collisions occurred as vehicles slowed as they entered into the area of low visibility. 5 minor injuries were reported according to the Oregon State Police.
- Dust Storm
- Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Wildfire in California, September 25 to 30, 2001$144,000 · 1 event
- Flash Flooding in New York, September 25, 2001$33,000 · 3 events
- High Surf in California, September 25, 20012 injured · $10,000 · 1 event
- Dust Storm in Washington, September 25, 20015 events
- High Wind in Idaho, September 25, 200178 kt wind · 5 events
- Dust Storm in Idaho, September 25, 20013 events
- High Wind in Montana, September 25, 200165 kt wind · 3 events
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, September 25, 20012 events
- High Wind in California, September 25, 200163 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Wind in California, September 25, 20011 event
- High Wind in Nevada, September 25, 200159 kt wind · 1 event
- High Wind in California, September 25, 200152 kt wind · 1 event
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: 5268728.