A strong Pacific storm system brought a mixture of weather and high winds to the lower elevations. Reports of damage and wind gusts in MPH include: (99) at the Boardman Coal Plant in Boardman, 5 NNE La Grande (62), and a semi-truck was blown over by the wind on I-84 near Milepost 266.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.
A strong Pacific storm system brought a mixture of weather and high winds to the lower elevations.
Reports of damage and wind gusts in MPH include: (99) at the Boardman Coal Plant in Boardman, 5 NNE La Grande (62), and a semi-truck was blown over by the wind on I-84 near Milepost 266.
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 Dec 17, 2:35 AM PST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
235 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...A BROAD TROUGH WILL REMAIN
OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON DURING THIS PERIOD. A COLD FRONT
IS MOVING THROUGH THE CWA AT THIS TIME. EXPECT WINDS TO INCREASE
AFTER THE FRONT PASSAGES. SINCE WIND GUSTS ARE ALREADY 50-57 MPH IN
THE HANFORD AREA AND NORTHERN FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUES, DECIDED TO
UPGRADE THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUES AND LOWER
COLUMBIA BASIN TO A WIND WARNING. MOST OF THE ZONE WILL BE IN THE
ADVISORY RANGE BUT HIGHER WINDS ALOFT WILL SPORADICALLY MIX TO THE
SURFACE, PARTICULARLY IN THE HANFORD AREA, MISSION, AND ALONG THE
BASE OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF WINDS AND SNOW
ALL BLIZZARD WARNINGS IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE. CANCELLED THE
SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SIMCOE HIGHLANDS BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURES
INCREASED AHEAD OF THE FRONT. WHILE TEMPERATURES AND SNOW LEVELS
WILL DECREASE BEHIND THE FRONT, SO WILL THE AMOUNT OF SNOW.
WITH THE BROAD TROUGH REMAINING OVER THE AREA EXPECT SHOWERS TO
CONTINUE. HOWEVER, PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE BEHIND THE FRONT IN
THE YAKIMA VALLEY, KITTITAS VALLEY, AND LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN AS
DOWNSLOPING WESTERLY WINDS INCREASE. POPS WILL REMAIN HIGH IN THE
MOUNTAINS. A SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE INTO THE BROAD TROUGH TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AND ENHANCE THE INSTABILITY. THIS WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE
OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA AGAIN.
TEMPERATURES AND SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP BEHIND THE FRONT. BY TUESDAY
MORNING SNOW LEVELS WILL REACH THE SURFACE EVEN IN THE COLUMBIA
BASIN. COONFIELD
.LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...A TRANSITORY RIDGE WILL
BUILD INTO THE REGION FOR TUESDAY NIGHT WITH DECREASING CHANCES FOR
PRECIPITATION. THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM
MOVES INTO THE REGION FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL
BRING GOOD CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA AND ANOTHER ROUND
OF POTENTIALLY HIGH WIND. THERE COULD BE SOME SIGNIFICANT SNOWS FOR
THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES. FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK
INTO THE WEEKEND...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL REMAIN OFFSHORE WITH
IMPULSES MOVING DOWNSTREAM ACROSS THE AREA BRINGING UNSETTLED
WEATHER. BY THAT TIME COLDER AIR FROM CANADA WILL HAVE WORKED INTO
MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA SO PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY BE IN THE
FORM OF SNOW EVEN AT THE THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. 78
&&
.AVIATION...12Z TAFS...MVFR/LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO
VFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE THE STRONG WINDS
ESPECIALLY AT KPSC/KALW AND KPDT WITH GUSTS EXPECTED TO REACH 45KT
FROM THE SW DURING THE DAY. WINDS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH THIS EVENING.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 44 27 34 25 / 40 20 30 20
ALW 44 28 35 27 / 40 30 40 20
PSC 47 29 37 28 / 20 10 20 10
YKM 40 21 30 22 / 20 10 20 10
HRI 46 23 38 28 / 20 10 20 10
ELN 37 18 30 17 / 20 20 20 10
RDM 36 15 30 19 / 50 20 30 20
LGD 38 22 29 20 / 70 30 50 30
GCD 35 20 27 14 / 70 30 50 30
DLS 44 29 38 27 / 60 30 30 20
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON
ORZ050-502-503-506.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ORZ042-508.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ORZ044-507.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ORZ049-505-509.
BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ORZ509.
WA...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON WAZ030.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON WAZ521.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON WAZ028-029.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 2 AM PST EARLY THIS MORNING WAZ027.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON WAZ520.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING WAZ026.
&&
THREAT INDEX
TODAY : RED
TUESDAY : GREEN
WEDNESDAY : GREEN
GREEN: NONE OR LIMITED NEED FOR WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES.
YELLOW: A FEW WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES POSSIBLE OR IN EFFECT.
RED: NUMEROUS WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES POSSIBLE OR IN EFFECT.
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
76/78/78HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
940 AM PST SUN DEC 16 2012
UPDATED FOR EXPANDED HEADLINE COVERAGE
ORZ041-042-044-049-050-502-503-505>509-WAZ024-026>030-520-521-
171245-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF OREGON-NORTH CENTRAL OREGON-
LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON-GRANDE RONDE VALLEY-WALLOWA COUNTY-
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-JOHN DAY BASIN-OCHOCO-
JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS-
FOOTHILLS OF THE NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON-
EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES-
EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE OF WASHINGTON-KITTITAS VALLEY-
YAKIMA VALLEY-LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON-
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON-
EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES-SIMCOE HIGHLANDS-
940 AM PST SUN DEC 16 2012
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON
AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
SNOW
EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES, KITTITAS VALLEY,
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON, WALLOWA COUNTY,
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS
OF OREGON, OCHOCO-JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS, YAKIMA VALLEY, SIMCOE
HIGHLANDS, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES
STRONG WIND
SIMCOE HIGHLANDS, LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON,
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON, NORTH CENTRAL
OREGON, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES, LOWER COLUMBIA
BASIN OF OREGON, GRANDE RONDE VALLEY, FOOTHILLS OF THE
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN
BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, JOHN DAY BASIN
A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT. WINDS WILL BE INCREASING DURING THE
AFTERNOON BECOMING STRONG IN MANY LOCATIONS OVERNIGHT. HIGH WIND
WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT. SNOW MIXED WITH RAIN AT THE
LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION TODAY AND WILL ALSO
CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SOME
LOCATIONS. SEE FORECASTS AND WARNING PRODUCTS FOR DETAILS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
SNOW MONDAY
EAST SLOPES OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES, KITTITAS VALLEY,
NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON, WALLOWA COUNTY,
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, SOUTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS
OF OREGON, OCHOCO-JOHN DAY HIGHLANDS, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON
CASCADES
STRONG WIND MONDAY
SIMCOE HIGHLANDS, LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON,
FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON, NORTH CENTRAL
OREGON, EAST SLOPES OF THE OREGON CASCADES, LOWER COLUMBIA
BASIN OF OREGON, GRANDE RONDE VALLEY, FOOTHILLS OF THE
NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN
BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON, JOHN DAY BASIN
THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE EXITING THE AREA LATE MONDAY. STRONG
WINDS AND SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON THEN DIMINISH IN THE
EVENING. WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH
MONDAY AFTERNOON. AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
THE WEEK WITH RAIN/SNOW AND PERIODS OF WIND.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
GRAPHICAL FORECASTS OF WEATHER HAZARDS OUT TO SEVEN DAYS
ARE DISPLAYED ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT:
WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/PDT/CURRENTHAZARDS/HWO.HTML
ALL LETTERS IN THE ABOVE URL ARE LOWER CASE.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
316 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0305 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 WSW COLLEGE PLACE 46.03N 118.46W
12/17/2012 M62 MPH WALLA WALLA WA MESONET
MESONET GUST.
&&
MVESCIOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
403 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0315 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 12 NW WEST RICHLAND 46.47N 119.54W
12/17/2012 M69 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
MID HANFORD MESONET.
0341 AM NON-TSTM WND GST BENTON CITY 46.27N 119.49W
12/17/2012 M60 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
45G60.
0315 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 10 NNW BENTON CITY 46.39N 119.59W
12/17/2012 M100 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
RATTLE SNAKE MOUNTAIN
0315 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 22 NE SUNNYSIDE 46.58N 119.73W
12/17/2012 M58 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
YAKIMA BARRICADE MESONET.
0315 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 14 NNW WEST RICHLAND 46.49N 119.55W
12/17/2012 M72 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
&&
MVESCIOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
410 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0356 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 13 WNW BICKLETON 46.08N 120.54W
12/17/2012 M60.00 MPH YAKIMA WA MESONET
HIGHBRIDGE RAWS.
&&
MVESCIOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
422 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0350 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 19 NNW WEST RICHLAND 46.57N 119.60W
12/17/2012 M66 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
AT HANFORD.
&&
MVESCIOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
436 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 PM NON-TSTM WND GST ECHO 45.74N 119.19W
12/16/2012 M54.00 MPH UMATILLA OR MESONET
0305 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 W COLLEGE PLACE 46.05N 118.50W
12/17/2012 M55.00 MPH WALLA WALLA WA MESONET
0400 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NNE KENNEWICK 46.24N 119.14W
12/17/2012 M55.00 MPH FRANKLIN WA TRAINED SPOTTER
SEVERAL GUSTS ABOVE 55 MPH.
&&
MVESCIOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
454 AM PST MON DEC 17 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 AM NON-TSTM WND GST RICHLAND 46.29N 119.29W
12/17/2012 M59 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
RICHLAND AIRPORT.
0400 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 W RICHLAND 46.28N 119.40W
12/17/2012 M60 MPH BENTON WA MESONET
&&
MVESCIOThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2012
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: 418981, 417997.