Strong Wind in Washington, March 22, 2003

Name: Strong Wind in Washington, March 22, 2003
Start: 2003-03-22T10:30
End: 2003-03-22T10:30
Location: Washington

March 22, 2003 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 strong wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $4,000
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 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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 22, 8:30 AM PST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 8:30 AM PST, 2 hours before

NORTHEAST OREGON/SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
830 AM PST SAT MAR 22 2003

A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. A
STRONG LOW LEVEL JET ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM IS PRODUCING 40 KNOT
WINDS DOWN TO 4000 FEET. HOWEVER DUE TO A MARGINAL SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT...SURFACE WINDS REMAIN LIGHT. FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE
THIS AFTERNOON EXPECT THE POST FRONTAL WINDS TO INCREASE SHARPLY AS
SUBSIDENCE...AS EVIDENCED BY THE DRY SLOT ON THE WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY...MIXES SOME OF THE LOW LEVEL JET WINDS TO THE SURFACE.
SINCE THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN MARGINAL
AT BEST DURING THIS CRITICAL PERIOD...EVEN WITH THE ADDITIVE
INFLUENCE OF THE JET MIXING TO THE SURFACE...DO NOT ANTICIPATE THE
WINDS TO ECLIPSE WARNING LEVELS. WILL UPDATE THE ZONES TO LOWER POPS
AND REMOVE SOME OF THE BLOWING DUST WORDING. HENRY

PDT 630  ALW 630  PSC 420  YKM 520

.KPDT...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 22, 5:45 AM PST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

ORZ041>050-WAZ024>030-231345-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
545 AM PST SAT MAR 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON

.DAY ONE...TODAY
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY. WINDY
CONDITIONS...LOCAL BLOWING DUST...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL
ACCOMPANY THE FRONT.

A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AN AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM OVER THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
AND WALLOWAS IS ALSO EXPECTED TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER THE MOUNTAINS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AFTERNOON
AND EARLY SUNDAY EVENING....MAINLY OVER THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. THEN
DRIER CONDITIONS WILL FOLLOW ON MONDAY BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM
ARRIVES ON TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

POLAN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Lower Columbia Basin

When: March 22, 10:30 AM PST
Where: Lower Columbia Basin forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.220, -119.419 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds atop Rattlesnake ridge were enough to drag a car off the main road and onto the edge of a bank. The winds continued to pound the side of the vehicle, before rolling the car over onto its top, denting the vehicle and breaking out windows.

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Washington in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Washington, 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: 5347981.