Oregon, 2011

Damaging Wind in Oregon, September 4, 2011

September 4, 2011 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Most of the thunderstorms in this outbreak were not severe. However, one severe wind gust was recorded at Klamath Falls Airport.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
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 MFR wrote it up.

Most of the thunderstorms in this outbreak were not severe. However, one severe wind gust was recorded at Klamath Falls 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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 4, 2:12 PM PST, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 4, 2:12 PM PST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
312 PM PDT SUN SEP 4 2011

.DISCUSSION...MAIN FORECAST ISSUES CONTINUE TO BE THE THUNDERSTORM
POTENTIAL THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON AND THE STRATUS
ALONG THE COAST. SEE THE AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR EXPECTED
CONDITIONS REGARDING THE MARINE LAYER. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY
SHOWING AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE JUST OFF THE NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA COAST WITH SOME MID TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE SWINGING
NORTHWESTWARD INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON.
VISIBLE SHOWS SOME ACCAS CLOUDS ALSO LIFTING NORTHWARD INTO
SISKIYOU AND MODOC COUNTIES WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF THE INSTABILITY
ALOFT. AS THIS UPPER FEATURE MOVES TOWARD THE AREA THIS EVENING
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN THE VICINITY OF THE TRINITY
ALPS AND THE MARBLE MOUNTAINS EAST-NORTHEASTWARD TO THE SOUTHERN
CASCADES AND PORTIONS OF THE UPPER KLAMATH BASIN...WHERE
MOISTURE...INSTABILITY AND FORCING ARE GREATEST. WE ARE NOT
EXPECTING A WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM EVENT HERE...AND THE OVERALL
PREDICTABILITY OF EXACTLY WHERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP REMAINS
LOW...BUT THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLATED LIGHTNING STRIKES
EXISTS IN THOSE AREAS THROUGH THIS EVENING.

THERE MAY BE A DECREASE IN ACTIVITY LATER THIS EVENING...BUT
NOCTURNAL THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL EXISTS FROM THE CASCADES EASTWARD
AS THE UPPER TROUGH SWINGS IN OVERNIGHT. 500 MB TEMPS COOL TO
ABOUT -13 TO -14C AS ANOTHER AREA OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY ARRIVES
TOWARD DAWN OVER THE EAST SIDE. AS SUCH...WE MAINTAINED SLIGHT
CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY FROM THE CASCADES EASTWARD. THE
LATEST NAM12 AND GFS KEEP MOST OF THE UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE ALONG
AND EAST OF THE CASCADES ON MONDAY...SO DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES
TO THE OVERALL SLIGHT CHANCE AREA.

WARMER AIR WILL MOVE IN ALOFT MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS THE
TROUGH DEPARTS TO THE EAST AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL DIMINISH.
A THERMAL TROUGH WILL SET UP ALONG THE COAST AGAIN AT MIDWEEK AND
THIS WILL ALLOW INLAND AREAS TO HEAT UP. MODEL 850 TEMPS ARE STILL
RUNNING ABOUT 25 TO 26C FOR WEDNESDAY IN MEDFORD AND THIS WILL BE
OUR BEST SHOT AT 100 DEGREES ALL SUMMER. MODELS ARE INDICATING
ANOTHER WEAK UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE POTENTIALLY BRINGING SOME
MOISTURE NORTHWARD ON THURSDAY. CONFIDENCE IN THIS IS LOW...SO DID
NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES AT THIS POINT...BUT FUTURE SHIFTS MAY NEED TO
CONSIDER THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL FOR THIS TIME FRAME. RIDGING TO
THE NORTH MAY ALSO SUPPRESS THINGS FRIDAY...BUT THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE AGAIN OVER THE WEEKEND...MAINLY OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
AND THE EAST SIDE.

&&

.AVIATION...MARINE STRATUS WILL CONTINUE TO HUG THE COASTLINE
TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING WITH LIFR CEILINGS AND AREAS OF LIFR
VISIBILITY DUE TO FOG. THE MARINE LAYER WILL RETREAT BACK OFFSHORE
BRIEFLY FOR MOST AREAS MONDAY AFTERNOON...BUT MAY LAST ALL DAY
ALONG THE SOUTH COAST...ESPECIALLY NEAR BROOKINGS. THE STRATUS
WILL RETURN MONDAY EVENING. SOME HIGH BASED CUMULUS WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF SISKIYOU COUNTY NORTHEASTWARD TO THE
SOUTHERN CASCADES AND THE UPPER KLAMATH BASIN.

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...NONE.

CA...NONE.
PZ...NONE.

SPILDE/DW/PETRUCELLI

The radar

The Medford radar (KMAX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Klamath

When
September 4, 6:58 PM PST to 6:59 PM PST
Where
Klamath County, (Lmt)klamath Falls A
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
42.150, -121.730

Recorded at the Klamath Falls Airport ASOS.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, September 2011

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: 334345.