Heavy Rain in Oregon, March 20, 2003

Name: Heavy Rain in Oregon, March 20, 2003
Start: 2003-03-20T22:00
End: 2003-03-20T22:00
Location: Oregon

March 20, 2003 · NWS PQR · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Heavy rains once again moved into Northwest Oregon. 40 inches at Mapleton.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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.

Heavy rains once again moved into Northwest Oregon. In 24 hours, 4.50 inches or rain fell at Laurel Mt., 3.60 inches at Francis, 3.77 inches at Three Lynx Creek, and 3.40 inches at Mapleton. Many stations reported 1 to 3 inches during the same 24 hour period. Over 36 hours Lee's Camp recorded 5.40 inches, Francis 4.70 inches, Mapleton 4.60 inches, Detroit 4.20 inches and Grande Ronde 4.10 inches.

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 Mar 20, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
830 PM PST THU MAR 20 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A WET FRONTAL ZONE WAS MOVING INTO OUR FORECAST AREA THIS
EVENING...AND WILL BEGIN A PERIOD OF PROLONGED PRECIPITATION INTO
SATURDAY. THE FIRST WARM FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT AND EARLY
FRIDAY...FOLLOWED BY A STRONGER WARM FRONT LATER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY
NIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY
SATURDAY. RAIN MAY BE LOCALLY HEAVY ALONG THE COAST FRIDAY INTO EARLY
SATURDAY. COOLER SHOWERS WILL SPREAD IN SATURDAY...THEN DECREASE
SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES IN
AROUND TUESDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ALREADY SHOWS
OVERRUNNING RAIN SPREADING INTO OUR FORECAST AREA THIS
EVENING...ESPECIALLY NORTH. MODELS CONFIRM SATELLITE TRENDS SHOWING
RAIN SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF OUR FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. HAVE
UPPED GRIDS A TOUCH HERE. THE FIRST SURGE OF THE WARM FRONT PASSES
THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY...THEN WARM FRONTAL SURGE WITH NEXT DEVELOPING
WAVE INCREASES THE RAIN LATER IN THE DAY...CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY
NIGHT. 18Z GFS REVERTED BACK TO EARLIER MODEL RUNS IN DEVELOPING A
STRONG LOW WITH THIS SECOND WAVE AND TAKING IT TOWARD VANCOUVER
ISLAND BY SATURDAY MORNING. THE 12Z CANADIAN AND NOW THE NEW 12Z
ECMWF AND 12Z UKMET HAVE FOLLOWED SUIT. THE 00Z ETA AND 00Z NGM ARE
DOING LIKEWISE...AND THE 00Z GFS CONTINUES AS WELL. SO WILL ISSUE A
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE COAST FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY.
FRONTAL PASSAGE AND DECREASE OF THE WINDS ON THE COAST LOOKS TO BE BY
SUNRISE SATURDAY MORNING.

CONCERNED THAT THE SNOW LEVEL WILL NOT LIFT VERY FAST TONIGHT AND
EARLY FRIDAY WITH THIS FIRST WARM FRONT SURGE...AND WILL ISSUE A LOW
END SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON
CASCADES...AND LEAVE OUT THE LANE COUNTY CASCADES. THE SNOW LEVEL
SHOULD RISE PRETTY GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT WITH THE SECOND
STRONGER SYSTEM.

GALES STILL LOOK GOOD INTO SATURDAY. FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK STILL
VALID AS WELL. TIMING AND LENGTH OF ANY BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION
FRIDAY WILL BE DETERMINING FACTORS FOR ANY FLOODING.

SHOWERS SPREAD IN WITH SNOW LEVELS WELL BELOW THE PASSES
SATURDAY...DECREASING SUNDAY AS THE WHOLE ONSHORE PATTERN MOVES EAST.

.LONG TERM...AFTER WEAK RIDGING FROM LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...MODELS
ARE REASONABLY CONSISTENT IN BREAKING THROUGH WITH A TROUGH COMING IN
OFF THE PACIFIC MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR A RETURN TO WET
WEATHER. TOLLESON

AST 9+++74 PDX 99++74 SLE 9+++74 EUG 8+++73

.PQR...GALE WARNING CAPE SHOALWATER TO FLORENCE.
       HIGH WIND WATCH COAST ZONES FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY
       SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FOR THE SOUTH
        WASHINGTON CASCADES AND THE NORTH OREGON CASCADES.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 6:30 AM PST, 15 hours 30 minutes before

ORZ001>013-WAZ019>023-039-040-211430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
630 AM PST THU MAR 20 2003

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A PACIFIC FRONT WILL PRODUCE GALE FORCE WINDS IN THE COASTAL WATERS.

* GALE WARNING...............SEE FZUS56 KPQR - CWFPQR FOR DETAILS *

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN......FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

A COUPLE OF PACIFIC FRONTS ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE COAST FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY PRODUCING GALE FORGE WINDS IN THE COASTAL WATERS. HEAVY
RAINS MAY BRING RIVER FLOODING FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY
AFTERNOON.

A FLOOD POTENTIAL STATEMENT..SEE FGUS76 KPQR - ESFPQR FOR DETAILS *

* GALE WARNING...............SEE FZUS56 KPQR - CWFPQR FOR DETAILS *

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO SKYWARN PROCEDURES.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Clatsop

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Clatsop County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.018, -123.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Benton

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Benton County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.492, -123.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Clackamas

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Clackamas County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.188, -122.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Columbia

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Columbia County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.944, -123.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Hood River

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Hood River County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.519, -121.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lane

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Lane County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.942, -122.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lincoln

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Lincoln County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.646, -123.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Linn

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Linn County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.489, -122.534 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Marion

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Marion County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.903, -122.585 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Multnomah

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Multnomah County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.547, -122.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Polk

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Polk County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.904, -123.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Tillamook

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Tillamook County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.456, -123.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Washington

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Washington County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.560, -123.098 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Yamhill

When: March 20, 10:00 PM PST
Where: Yamhill County, Countywide
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.233, -123.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, March 2003

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: 5344761, 5344762, 5344763, 5344764, 5344765, 5344766, 5344767, 5344768, 5344769, 5344770, 5344771, 5344772, 5344773, 5344774.