High Wind in Oregon, October 22, 2002

Name: High Wind in Oregon, October 22, 2002
Start: 2002-10-22T12:00
End: 2002-10-22T22:00
Location: Oregon

October 22, 2002 · NWS PQR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong frontal system moving across the Cascade Mountains produced very strong winds. Timberline reported gusts to 110 mph with numerous gusts over 80 mph.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 happened

The episode as NWS PQR wrote it up.

A strong frontal system moving across the Cascade Mountains produced very strong winds. Timberline reported gusts to 110 mph with numerous gusts over 80 mph. Mount Hood Meadows reported wind gusts to 87 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 Oct 22, 8:00 AM PST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 22, 8:00 AM PST, 4 hours before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
900 AM PDT TUE OCT 22 2002

.SYNOPSIS...BLOCKING UPPER HIGH ALONG PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST TODAY
SHIFTS INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA WEDNESDAY.  A PORTION OF SURFACE HIGH
PRESSURE MOVING INTO NORTHERN PLAINS PUSHES INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON.
THIS TURNS LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW TO WEAK OFFSHORE FLOW TODAY THOUGH FAR
SOUTH SHOWS LITTLE CHANGE.  THERMAL LOW PRESSURE REMAINS ALONG
CENTRAL COAST TONIGHT ANDS SLOWLY MOVES NORTH ON WEDNESDAY.  OFFSHORE
FLOW CONTINUES OVER AREA EXCEPT OVER CENTRAL COAST.  THERMAL TROUGH
MOVES TO WASHINGTON COAST BY THURSDAY MORNING BRINING MARINE MOISTURE
ALONG COAST WITH LIGHT OFFSHORE FLOW ELSEWHERE.  NEXT PACIFIC FRONT
ON THURSDAY CAUGHT IN SPLIT FLOW.  THIS SYSTEM SPLITS AROUND AREA
WITH MAIN ENERGY HEADING SOUTH THURSDAY NIGHT.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...MORNING ETA FOLLOWING 06Z AVN SHOWING MAIN PUSH OF
STRONG SURFACE HIGH HEADING WELL E OF ROCKIES.  THIS GIVE LESS
OFFSHORE FLOW.  MESO ETA STILL SHOWS MARINE CLOUDS CLEARING TODAY BUT
WILL SLOW DOWN ESPECIALLY S AND ALONG COAST.  THERMAL LOW LOOKS TO
STOP NEAR FLORENCE SO WILL KEEP MARINE CLOUDS ALONG PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL COAST TONIGHT.  THERMAL LOW LIFTS N WED MOVING TO OFF S WA
COAST BY THU MORNING.  MARINE CLOUDS ADVANCE N ALONG COAST WED AND
OVER ALL COAST WED NIGHT.  OFFSHORE STRONG ENOUGH TO KEEP N INTERIOR
CLEAR THROUGH THU MORNING THOUGH S INTERIOR POSSIBLY TO FOG/STATUS.
APPROACHING PAC FRONT THU STILL CAUGHT IN SPLIT.  UPPER HIGH SHIFTS
TO SW BC ON THU.  MAIN ENERGY STILL LOOKS TO GO S OF AREA THU NIGHT.
MORNING ETA BRINGS FRONT A LITTLE CLOSE THU BUT STILL OFFSHORE THRU
THE DAY. INCREASING OFFSHORE FLOW WITH APPROACHING LOW OFF COAST
SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR PARTIAL CLEARING NRN COAST THU.

.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES.  KOSOVITZ

AST 00001  PDX 00000  SLE 00000  EUG 00001

.PQR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR.

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 22, 4:30 AM PST, 7 hours 30 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-231230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
530 AM PDT TUE OCT 22 2002

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

.DAY ONE....

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

THE NEED FOR SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Oregon Cascades

When: October 22, 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Northern Oregon Cascades forecast zone
Measured: 95 kt (109 mph)
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

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, October 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: 5321125.