High Wind in Oregon, February 18, 2002

Name: High Wind in Oregon, February 18, 2002
Start: 2002-02-18T04:00
End: 2002-02-18T22:00
Location: Oregon

February 18, 2002 · NWS PQR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Winds at Newport Jetty reached 50 gusts 63 mph, Florence 48 gusts 61 mph, Newport City gusts 61 mph, Garibaldi 48 mph and Bouy 29 at the mouth of the Columbia River reported 40 gusts to 55 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.

Winds at Newport Jetty reached 50 gusts 63 mph, Florence 48 gusts 61 mph, Newport City gusts 61 mph, Garibaldi 48 mph and Bouy 29 at the mouth of the Columbia River reported 40 gusts to 55 mph.

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 Feb 18, 2:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 18, 2:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
230 AM PST MON FEB 18 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PAC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ONSHORE THIS EVENING...
WITH STRONG SOUTH WINDS EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST. A MOIST WARM FRONT
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE AREA THU FOLLOWED BY A COLD
FRONT FRI.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...SATELLITE WATER VAPOR SHOWING SHARP DRY SLOT SPEEDING
TOWARD OREGON COAST BEHIND COLD FRONT...ASSOCIATED WITH AVN 160 KT
JET SEGMENT AND DEEPENING SURFACE LOW. EXPECT SYSTEM TO WEAKEN SOME
TODAY AS IT MOVES TOWARD EXISTING REGION OF SPLIT FLOW ALONG WEST
COAST...THEN NEGATIVE TILT FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF
FRONT MESOETA AND AVN SHOW STRONG SOUTHERLY BOUNDARY WINDS NEAR 45
KT...WITH MESOETA 1000 MB GEOSTROPHIC WINDS NEAR 70 KT EVEN ALONG WA
COAST. PRUDENT TO GO TO HIGH WIND WARNING OREGON HEADLANDS...AND WILL
ADD WATCH TO SOUTH WA COAST EVEN THROUGH EASTERLY GRADIENT MAY
INHIBIT STRONGEST WINDS FROM SURFACING.

MOIST ONSHORE FLOW BEHIND FRONT REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND TUE WITH
DECENT OROGRAPHIC COMPONENT TO CASCADES...AND MAY NEED EVENTUAL SNOW
ADVISORY. ONSHORE FLOW WEAKENS SUBSTANTIALLY TUE NIGHT AND WED FOR
DECREASING SHOWERS...THEN TURNS OFFSHORE LATE WED AS SURFACE HIGH
SLIDES NORTHEAST INTO WA.

.LONG TERM...MRF HAS BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH TIMING OF FEATURES
THIS WEEK...WITH ACTIVE WET WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTH THROUGH AREA
THU...FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT FRI. HOWEVER VARIATIONS WITH OTHER
MODELS COULD ALTER FINAL TIMING AND DETAILS. UNCERTAINTY INCREASES
NEXT WEEKEND WITH ALL MODELS VARYING...BUT WILL ADD CHANCE OF SHOWERS
SUN PER MRF AND ECMWF. WILLIS

AST 7+742  PDX 49742  SLE 59742  EUG 69742

.PQR...GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
       HIGH WIND WARNING NORTH AND CENTRAL OREGON COAST.
       HIGH WIND WATCH SOUTH WA COAST.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Central Oregon Coast

When: February 18, 4:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: COASTAL OBSERVING STATION

High Wind, Northern Oregon Coast

When: February 18, 4:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: COASTAL OBSERVING STATION

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, February 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: 5283244, 5283245.