High Wind in Oregon, April 27, 2004

Name: High Wind in Oregon, April 27, 2004
Start: 2004-04-27T17:18
End: 2004-04-27T18:20
Location: Oregon

April 27, 2004 · NWS PDT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Sustained wind speeds between 35-45 MPH with a peak gust of 54 MPH was measured at the Pendleton Airport at 5:18 PM PST. 5 miles at the Pendleton Airport.

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 PDT wrote it up.

Sustained wind speeds between 35-45 MPH with a peak gust of 54 MPH was measured at the Pendleton Airport at 5:18 PM PST. The winds also led to blowing dust with visibility lowered to 2.5 miles at the Pendleton Airport.

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 Apr 27, 1:15 PM PST, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 27, 1:15 PM PST, 4 hours 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OREGON
215 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

.SHORT TERM...WINDS HAVE INCREASED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA AS A
STRONG COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION.  A WIND ADVISORY
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE YAKIMA...KITTITAS VALLEYS AND THE
LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN AND BLUE MOUNTAINS FOOTHILLS OF WASHINGTON AND
OREGON.  THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL MIDNIGHT.  THE
FRONT IS CURRENTLY HUNG UP ON THE WASHINGTON CASCADES.  THERE IS A
CLOUD AREA WITH PRESSURE TROUGH AHEAD OF FRONT BUT ACTUAL
PRECIPITATION REMAINS CLOSER TO THE FRONT.  WITH THE LIMITED
MOISTURE CAN ONLY EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG THE
FOOTHILL AND THE MOUNTAINS.  THE BEST INSTABILITY IS PUSHED TO THE
EAST AS THE FRONT WITH ANY MOISTURE APPROACHES SO THUNDERSTORM
THREAT IS RELATIVELY LOW AND SHOULD ONLY BE OVER THE NORTHEAST
MOUNTAINS.  SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT OVER THE NORTHEAST AS
LOW SINKS SOUTH OVER IDAHO.  LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE LINGERS OVER THE
NORTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH A FEW SHOWERS.  TEMPERATURES
WILL BE MUCH COOLER BY ABOUT 15 TO 20 DEGREES ON WEDNESDAY THAN
TODAY AND A REALLY COLD NIGHT IN STORE FOR THE REGION WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.  DRY AND A LITTLE WARMER ON THURSDAY AS RIDGE BUILDS BACK
INTO WEST COAST.  ML

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH
TUESDAY...WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND A WARMING TREND PERSISTING THROUGH
MONDAY.  TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE INTO TUESDAY...AS THE
EXTENDED MODELS ARE SUGGESTING THAT A SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.  HOWEVER...BELIEVE THAT
THE RIDGE WILL REMAIN STRONG WITH THE SYSTEM ONLY BRUSHING EASTERN
OREGON AND WASHINGTON...AND WILL KEEP THE FORECAST DRY.  PALMER

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PENDLETON (AIRPORT) 43 64 37 70 / 30 20 00 00
WALLA WALLA         45 66 39 71 / 30 20 00 00
TRI-CITIES          44 70 38 74 / 20 05 00 00
YAKIMA              41 68 35 72 / 10 10 00 00
&&

.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WIND ADVISORY OR ZONES 44 AND 45 THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL
MIDNIGHT.
WA...WIND ADVISORY WA ZONE 26 THROUGH 29 THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL
MIDNIGHT.
&&

93

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 27, 5:15 PM PST, 3 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
615 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

ORZ041>050-WAZ024>030-281200-
BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON OR-CENTRAL OREGON OR-
EAST COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OR-EAST COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE WA-
EAST SLOPES SOUTHERN CASCADES WA-FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS WA-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OR-GRANDE RONDE VALLEY OR-
JOHN DAY VALLEY OR-KITTITAS VALLEY WA-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN WA-
LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OR-NORTH CENTRAL OREGON OR-
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS WA-OCHOCO-JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS OR-
WALLOWA COUNTY OR-YAKIMA VALLEY WA-
615 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

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

.DAY ONE...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING AND
CAUSE A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND INCREASING WINDS...WITH WINDS
DECREASING AFTER MIDNIGHT.  IN ADDITION TO THE WIND...AREAS OF
BLOWING DUST WILL OCCUR.  SEVERAL ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS ARE IN
EFFECT THROUGH 12 AM PDT WEDNESDAY.  THESE INCLUDE A HIGH WIND
WARNING FOR THE COLUMBIA BASIN AND BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS...A
BLOWING DUST ADVISORY FOR THE COLUMBIA BASIN...BLUE MOUNTAIN
FOOTHILLS AND YAKIMA VALLEY...AND A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KITTITAS
VALLEY AND THE EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION WITH A WARMING TREND
AND DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 27, 3:40 PM PST, 1 hour 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
440 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0424 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 7 E YAKIMA              46.59N 120.38W
04/27/2004  51 MPH           YAKIMA             WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AVERAGE WIND 40.7 IN LAST 3 HOURS WITH PEAK WIND 50.9.
            ROOF SHINGLES HAVE BEEN BLOWN OFF.

0325 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG ELLENSBURG              47.00N 120.55W
04/27/2004                   KITTITAS           WA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STRONG WINDS RESULTED IN 2 POWER POLES KNOCKED DOWN.

&&

SMITH

Local storm report, Apr 27, 5:13 PM PST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
613 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     TSTM WND GST     BOARDMAN                45.84N 119.70W
04/27/2004  60 MPH           MORROW             OR   PUBLIC

            SUSTAINED WINDS 30-35 MPH WITH PEAK GUST TO 60. BLOWING
            DUST CAN BE SEEN ALONG HIGHWAY 14.

&&

SMITH

Local storm report, Apr 27, 5:15 PM PST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
615 PM PDT TUE APR 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST BOARDMAN                45.84N 119.70W
04/27/2004  60 MPH           MORROW             OR   PUBLIC

            SUSTAINED WINDS 30-35 MPH WITH PEAK GUST TO 60. BLOWING
            DUST CAN BE SEEN ALONG HIGHWAY 14.

&&

SMITH

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Foothills of the Blue Mountains

When: April 27, 5:18 PM PST to 6:20 PM PST
Where: Foothills of the Blue Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, April 2004

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: 5390403.