High Wind in Oregon, December 10 to 11, 2002

Name: High Wind in Oregon, December 10 to 11, 2002
Start: 2002-12-10T15:00
End: 2002-12-11T12:00
Location: Oregon

December 10 to 11, 2002 · NWS PQR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

With the passage of strong Pacific warm front, Florence reported sustained winds at 41 mph with gusts to 58 mph, and Newport Airport reported gusts to 52 mph. In the Coastal Mountains, Laurel Mountain reported gusts to 69 mph.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 PQR wrote it up.

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 Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 10, 2:30 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 2:30 PM PST, 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 PM PST TUE DEC 10 2002

.SYNOPSIS...POST FRONTAL SHOWERS AND ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN SNOW TO
CONTINUE TONIGHT AS COOLER AIR FILTERS INTO THE AREA. A WARM FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH ACROSS THE AREA WED...FOLLOWED BY A STRONG
COLD FRONT THU WITH HIGH WINDS ALONG THE COAST. ADDITIONAL STRONG
SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION FRI THROUGH TUE FOR WET AND WINDY
CONDITIONS AT TIMES.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...FAST MOVING FRONT EAST OF THE CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON
WITH A COOL AND SHOWERY AIR MASS IN PLACE.  ATMOSPHERE REMAINS
QUIT UNSTABLE THROUGH MIDNIGHT WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND LOWERING
SNOW LEVELS TO JUSTIFY THE SNOW ADVISORY.  HAVE REFRESHED STATEMENT
FOR A TOTAL OF 4 TO 8 INCHES GIVEN THAT SEVERAL INCHES HAVE ALREADY
FALLEN LOOKING AT MOUNTAIN WEATHER CAMS.  SHOWERS STILL CONVECTIVE IN
NATURE WITH ISOLATED STRIKES OCCURRING WEST OF THE CASCADES SO WILL
LEAVE THUNDERSTORM MENTION IN FOR THIS EVENING.

WARM FRONT TO LIFT N ACROSS THE AREA WED AS A STRONG COLD FRONT
DEVELOPS OFFSHORE. AFTER EVALUATING LATEST MESO/AVN...DECIDED THAT A
WARNING FOR THE COAST BEST WAY TO GO.  A STRONG COLD FRONT THEN WILL
COME ONSHORE THU WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF HIGH WINDS.  THIS SYSTEM IS
SHOWN TO DEEPEN AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES NE INTO VANCOUVER ISLAND AS A
980 MB LOW PER AVN.  BOTH AVN/ETA SHOW AN 850 MB JET OF 75-80 KT AND
BOUNDARY LOW WINDS OF NEARLY 50 KT. THIS WOULD IMPLY GUSTS OF 80 MPH
OR HIGHER POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST...AND POSSIBLY GUSTING TO 60 MPH
OR MORE IN THE MORE SHELTERED COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND SOME EXPOSED
COAST RANGE LOCATIONS.  WITH THIS...WILL GO WITH STRONGLY WORDED WIND
WATCH COAST AND COAST RANGE FOR WED NIGHT THROUGH THURS NIGHT GIVEN
THE HIGH CONFIDENCE.

EXPECT SNOW TO PILE UP OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WITH THE HEAVIEST
AMOUNTS OVER THE WEEKEND.  SNOW LEVELS WILL FLUXUATE AHEAD AND BEHIND
EACH OF THESE FRONTS.  THIS SHOULD SPARE THE PASSES FROM THE BRUNT OF
SNOWFALL BUT SKI RESORTS SHOULD SEE APPRECIABLE AMOUNTS.

SEAS WILL BE INCREASING THROUGH THE WEEK...AND SHOULD EXCEED 20 FT BY
WED NIGHT.

.LONG TERM...A PROGRESSIVE WET AND WINDY PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO
THE EXTENDED PERIOD. MODELS CONTINUE TO GENERATE A PARTICULARLY
STRONG SYSTEM FOR LATE SUN AND MON.  HIGH WINDS THE BIGGEST CONCERN
WITH THIS SYSTEM AS THE ECMWF AND UKMET DEVELOP A VERY DEEP 952 MB
SURFACE LOW AND TRACK IT INTO VANCOUVER ISLAND.  GFS REMAINS MUCH
WEAKER...BUT GIVEN THE NEARLY 200 KT JET OVER THE PACIFIC AND VERY
TIGHT BAROCLINIC BOUNDARY IN THE VICINITY...WOULD EXPECT A MUCH
STRONGER LOW THAN THE GFS.  WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS SYSTEM AND
KEEP WINDY IN THE FORECAST.

MERCER

AST 787988  PDX 686988  SLE 686988  EUG 685977

.PQR...GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
      .SNOW ADVISORY SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON CASCADES
       THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT.
      .HIGH WIND WARNING WEDNESDAY FOR THE  SOUTH WASHINGTON
       COAST...NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST.
      .HIGH WIND WATCH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR THE SOUTH
       WASHINGTON COAST AND COAST RANGE...AND NORTH AND CENTRAL
       OREGON COAST AND COAST RANGE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 2:50 PM PST, 10 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-111430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST TUE DEC 10 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND
NORTHWEST OREGON.

.DAY ONE...

SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE CASCADES THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

GALE WARNING COASTAL WATERS WEDNESDAY AND STORM WINDS
EXPECTED LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...WITH GALE WINDS AGAIN
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. HIGH WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON COAST ON
WEDNESDAY.  A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY FOR THE COAST AND COAST RANGE OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN OREGON. HIGH WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE
EACH DAY FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS A SERIES OF STRONG SYSTEMS MOVE
ONSHORE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SHOULD UNEXPECTED CONDITIONS ARISE SPOTTERS SHOULD CALL IN AS PER
THEIR SPOTTER CALL IN CRITERIA.  REPORTS OF HIGH WIND GUSTS AND SNOW
AMOUNTS ARE HELPFUL.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 10:10 AM PST, 4 hours 50 minutes before

ORZ001-002-WAZ021-102300-

HIGH WIND OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
1010 AM PST TUE DEC 10 2002

...A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
FOR THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST...THE NORTH OREGON COAST AND THE SOUTH
WASHINGTON COAST...

A PARADE OF PACIFIC COLD FRONTS WILL BRING AN INCREASINGLY
WET...WINDY... AND STORMY WEATHER PATTERN THIS WEEK ALONG THE SOUTH
WASHINGTON COAST..AND THE NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST.

A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ONTO THE COAST WEDNESDAY...FOLLOWED BY
A STRONG COLD FRONT LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. SOUTHERLY
WINDS MAY EXCEED HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA THEN... WITH SOUTHERLY
WIND GUSTS 60 TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE AT COASTAL HEADLANDS AND COASTAL
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NEAR THE SHORE. ADDITIONAL STRONG WET AND WINDY
WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE WEATHER NEWS SOURCE
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE WEATHER THIS WEEK...AND POSSIBLY ANY
WATCHES OR WARNINGS SHOULD THEY BE ISSUED.

TOLLESON

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 2:17 PM PST, 43 minutes before

ORZ001-002-WAZ021-110700-

HIGH WIND OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
217 PM PST TUE DEC 10 2002

...A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL OREGON
COAST...THE NORTH OREGON COAST AND THE SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST FOR
THIS WEEKEND...

A WET...WINDY...AND STORMY PATTERN THAT BEGAN EARLY THIS WEEK WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ADDITIONAL
STRONG SYSTEMS ARE LIKELY TO AFFECT THE COAST LATE FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY...AND AGAIN LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THESE SYSTEMS MAY
BRING ADDITIONAL STRONG AND POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS TO THE COAST.

A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK IS ISSUED WHEN WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED HIGH
WIND CRITERIA IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE DAYS. HIGH WIND WARNING
CRITERIA IN MOST AREAS IS SUSTAINED WINDS 40 MPH OR GREATER OR GUSTS
58 MPH OR GREATER.

TOLLESON

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 2:37 PM PST, 23 minutes before

ORZ001-002-WAZ021-111500-

HIGH WIND OUTLOOK ...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
237 PM PST TUE DEC 10 2002

...A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL OREGON
COAST...THE NORTH OREGON COAST AND THE SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST FOR
THIS WEEKEND...

A WET...WINDY...AND STORMY PATTERN THAT BEGAN EARLY THIS WEEK WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ADDITIONAL
STRONG SYSTEMS ARE LIKELY TO AFFECT THE COAST LATE FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY...AND AGAIN LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THESE SYSTEMS MAY
BRING ADDITIONAL STRONG AND POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS TO THE COAST.

A HIGH WIND OUTLOOK IS ISSUED WHEN WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED HIGH
WIND CRITERIA IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE DAYS. HIGH WIND WARNING
CRITERIA IN MOST AREAS IS SUSTAINED WINDS 40 MPH OR GREATER OR GUSTS
58 MPH OR GREATER.

TOLLESON

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Central Oregon Coast

When: December 10, 3:00 PM PST to December 11, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Central Coast Range of W Oregon

When: December 10, 3:00 PM PST to December 11, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Central Coast Range of W Oregon forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY

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

Every storm in Oregon in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, December 2002

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: 5325528, 5325529.