High Wind in Oregon, November 15 to 16, 2002

Name: High Wind in Oregon, November 15 to 16, 2002
Start: 2002-11-15T06:00
End: 2002-11-16T13:00
Location: Oregon

November 15 to 16, 2002 · NWS PQR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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.

A Pacific storm brought strong winds to the Oregon Coast as it moved north along the coast to Vancouver Island. Garibaldi reported winds to 60 mph with gusts to 80 mph, Tillamook 58 mph, Florence 49 gusts to 62 mph, Lincoln County Courthouse 65 mph, Newport Airport gusts to 58 mph and Newport Jetty 48 gusts to 63 mph. Astoria Airport reported winds to 40 mph with gusts to 57 mph. Downed trees blocked roads and fallen limbs resulted in widespread power outages in the Newport and Lincoln City areas. Utility companies reported outages to 290 customers in Otter Rock, 600 in South beach, and 2000 in Lincoln City.

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 Nov 15, 2:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 15, 2:45 AM PST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
245 AM PST FRI NOV 15 2002

...THIS CORRECTION IS TO INCLUDE THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY...

.SYNOPSIS...SURFACE HIGH PRES OVER THE PAC NORTHWEST WILL MAINTAIN
LOCALLY PERSISTENT FOG AND LOW CLOUDS THROUGH FRI. A WEAK WARM FRONT
MAY CLIP THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE DISTRICT LATE FRI BEFORE
MOVING WELL NORTH FRI NIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH EAST ACROSS THE
AREA SAT AS A STRONG PAC LOW MOVES INTO VANCOUVER ISLAND. DECREASING
SHOWERS SUN WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF PAC SYSTEMS NEXT WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...WIDESPREAD FOG HAS FORMED IN THE MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR
MASS UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. MESO ETA APPEARS HANDLING CONDITIONS
WELL WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FILLING INTERIOR VALLEYS...THEN ONLY
SLOWLY DECREASING MOISTURE IN CENTRAL/SOUTH WILLAMETTE VALLEY FRI
AFTERNOON. THE MESO ETA ALSO INDICATES THE DRYING IN THE AREAS
EXPOSED TO DEVELOPING OFFSHORE FLOW FROM GORGE. THE FOG HAS ALREADY
LIFTED IN TROUTDALE..KELSO..ASTORIA IN RESPONSE TO THIS INCREASING
EASTERLY FLOW.

MESO ETA AND AVN CONTINUE TO CLIP FAR NORTHWEST ZONES LATER TODAY
WITH WARM FRONT...WHICH THEN LIFTS NORTH OF AREA THIS EVENING AHEAD
OF AMPLIFIED FLOW OVER EASTERN PAC. AVN CONTINUES TO DEVELOP A STRONG
SECONDARY WAVE ON PAC COLD FRONT WHICH TIGHTENS GRADIENT AHEAD OF
FRONT FRI NIGHT/SAT MORNING...AND HIGH WIND WATCH FOR COAST STILL
LOOKS GOOD. COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AREA DURING AFTERNOON...BUT WRAP
AROUND PRECIPITATION WITH STRONG UPPER LOBE INDICATED INTO SAT
EVENING. MODELS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WEAK UPPER RIDGING INTO THE AREA
SUN BUT LOW LEVEL FLOW STILL ONSHORE WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS
ESPECIALLY NORTHERN ZONES.

.LONG TERM...NEW AVN/MRF RUNS TEND TO BACK OFF FRONTS TIL WED LEAVING
MON/TUE FAIRLY DRY. THIS NOT CONSISTENT WITH OTHER MODELS AND WILL
WAIT FOR A CONSENSUS BEFORE CHANGING THE EXTENDED. LIKENS

AST 33994  PDX 11893  SLE 11893  EUG 00883

.PQR...DENSE FOG ADVISORY THIS MORNING.
       HIGH WIND WATCH COASTAL ZONES LATE FRI NIGHT AND SAT.
       GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 14, 6:30 AM PST, 23 hours 30 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-151430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST THU NOV 14 2002

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

.DAY ONE...

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL
WATERS TODAY.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

NO SPECIFIC REPORTS ARE REQUESTED. SHOULD UNEXPECTED CONDITIONS OCCUR
FOLLOW NORMAL CALL IN CRITERIA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A SERIES OF PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE FORECAST TO AFFECT NORTHWEST
OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THESE WEATHER
SYSTEMS MAY BRING VERY WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE COAST AT TIMES
ESPECIALLY EARLY SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Oregon Coast

When: November 15, 6:00 AM PST to November 16, 1:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Central Oregon Coast

When: November 15, 6:00 AM PST to November 16, 1:00 PM PST
Where: Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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, November 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: 5323462, 5323463.