An upper level disturbance moved north across the area during the afternoon and evening. Triple digit temperatures provided ample heating for thunderstorms with gusty damaging winds and locally large hail.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
An upper level disturbance moved north across the area during the afternoon and evening. Triple digit temperatures provided ample heating for thunderstorms with gusty damaging winds and locally large hail.
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 Jul 8, 1:45 PM PST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
245 PM PDT SUN JUL 8 2012
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...SATELLITE AND
RADAR IMAGERY INDICATE CONVECTION STARTING UP ALONG SOUTHEAST
OREGON. EXPECT TODAY THROUGH TOMORROW TO BE AN ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM
PERIOD. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES A WAVE MOVING NORTH ABOUT
25KTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL OREGON AREA. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY
DEVELOP ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...AFFECTING ALL AREAS NORTH OF A JOHN
DAY REDMOND LINE. AREAS DIRECTLY UNDER THE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT
GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES. SOME
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE WITH WINDS BEING THE MAIN
THREAT. BY LATE EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...THUNDERSTORMS
SHOULD PROGRESS NORTH TO THE WASHINGTON AREAS. NOCTURNAL
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE SINCE THE OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE
FAIRLY WARM...AND OUTFLOW COLD FRONTS FROM EXISTING STORMS MAY AID
IN THE LIFT OF LOW LEVEL STABILIZED AIR. ADDITIONALLY...ELEVATED
THUNDERSTORMS CAN OCCUR OVERNIGHT AS FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE
WAVE AFFECTS THE AREA.
ANOTHER WARM DAY WITH HIGH DEWPOINTS CAN BE EXPECTED TOMORROW WITH
1000-2000J/KG OF ML CAPE ALLOWING FOR STRONG TO POTENTIALLY SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. THE BEST AREA OF INSTABILITY LOOKS TO BE
ALONG NORTHEAST OREGON AND THE WALLOWA COUNTY AREA...BUT ALL AREAS
WILL HAVE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. MODELS DO HINT AT A WEAK
MARINE PUSH ACROSS THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND SURROUNDING AREAS
TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THIS WILL LIKELY INHIBIT ANY SURFACE BASED
CONVECTION AROUND THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. HAVE STILL LEFT A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AS MODELS DO STILL INDICATE ELEVATED
INSTABILITY OVER THE AREA.
BY TUESDAY DRY AIR WILL BEGIN TO INTRUDE THE AREA AND SHOULD
STABILIZE THE FOOTHILLS WESTWARD BY MID AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE
UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH SOME MARGINAL
INSTABILITY LEFT OVER IN THE WALLOWA COUNTY AREA. BY WEDNESDAY
THERE WILL BE A LITTLE BIT OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE WALLOWA
COUNTY AREA THAT COULD LEAD TO A SLIGHT CHANCE THUNDERSTORM...BUT
OTHERWISE MOSTLY DRY AND VERY WARM.
AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES GO...TODAY LOOKS TO BE THE HOTTEST DAY YEAR
TO DATE. WITH 100 PLUS DEGREES RECORDED YESTERDAY OVER MOST OF THE
LOWER ELEVATIONS...AND IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TODAY AND
TOMORROW...THE HEAT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW EVENING.
PLEASE REFER TO PRODUCT PDXNPWPDT FOR FURTHER DETAILS. WEBER
.LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...THERE IS LESS
CONFIDENCE THAN USUAL IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD
SINCE THERE ARE BIG DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF EITHER STRAIGHT WESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT ACROSS THE REGION (ECMWF 12Z RUN) COMPARED TO A STRING
CLOSED MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING SLOWLY THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA (12Z GFS RUN). THE RELATIVE MEASURE OF PREDICTABILITY
(RMOP) INDEX FOR THE 12Z GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN FORECAST OF 500MB HEIGHTS
INDICATES ONLY 10-15 CHANCE OF A MID/UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE OR
CLOSED MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACTUALLY MOVING INTO THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. AS SUCH I DECIDED TO
FAVOR THE ECMWF SOLUTION, WHICH WOULD PRODUCE WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE
WINDS EAST OF THE CASCADES AND THUS SUBSIDENCE ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA. I THEREFORE LEANED TOWARD CLIMATOLOGY, WHICH MEANS BASICALLY
DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS FOR THIS PERIOD FOR THE INTERIOR PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. POLAN
&&
.AVIATION...18Z TAFS...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT ALL TAF SITES
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AFTER
21Z TODAY IN CENTRAL OREGON AND ALONG HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE BLUE
MOUNTAINS AND IN GRANT COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
TONIGHT WITH STORMS MOVING GENERALLY TO THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST AND
THEN EXITING THE LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN INTO NORTHEAST WASHINGTON BY
AROUND 15Z ON MONDAY. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY POSSIBLY IMPACT ALL TAF
SITES AND PRODUCE BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR CONDITIONS DUE TO LOCALIZED
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN REDUCING VSBY INTO THE EVENING WITH THE STRONGER
STORMS. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE UNDER 15 KTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS,
BUT KDLS WILL REACH 10 TO 20 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 25 KTS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. KPDT, KRDM AND KBDN MAY HAVE SOME GUSTS TO 20 KTS AS
WELL. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN, SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF PERIODS OF STRONG GUSTY
WINDS DUE GUST FRONTS PRODUCED BY THUNDERSTORM DOWNDRAFTS WILL BE
POSSIBLE AT ALL TAF SITES AS WELL. POLAN
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...SEVERAL FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE ANTICIPATED THIS
WEEK. FIRST...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH FREQUENT CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING IN SOME AREAS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.
DESPITE THE GOOD PROBABILITY OF HEAVY RAIN WITH SOME STORMS...THE
LIGHTNING AND DRY FUELS MAY RESULT IN NEW FIRE STARTS. CENTRAL AND
NE OREGON AND EXTREME SE WASHINGTON WILL HAVE THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR
WETTING RAIN WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA MAY START OFF WITH
LITTLE MOISTURE BUT GRADUALLY INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS.
ANOTHER FIRE CONCERN WILL BE THE WINDS IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN AND
SURROUNDING VALLEYS ON MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...PARTICULARLY
IN THE EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. WINDS IN THESE AREAS WILL BE
AROUND 10-20 MPH...AND 15-25 MPH IN THE EASTERN COLUMBIA RIVER
GORGE. WINDS MAY NOT BE SIGNIFICANT BUT STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY A
FIRE. THE LAST CONCERN WILL BE HAINES WHICH IS IN A MODERATE
CATEGORY OF 5 FOR MOST OF THE AREA. THERE WILL BE SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT
OF HAINES ON TUESDAY DUE TO INCREASING MID LEVEL MOISTURE...BUT THE
DRY AIR ALOFT AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY ON WEDNESDAY WILL BRING THE
HAINES BACK TO A 5...ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN WASHINGTON. WISTER
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 69 98 64 93 / 40 30 30 10
ALW 70 100 67 95 / 40 30 40 10
PSC 70 101 67 98 / 40 30 20 10
YKM 67 100 62 95 / 40 30 20 10
HRI 70 100 67 96 / 40 30 20 10
ELN 68 97 61 93 / 40 30 20 10
RDM 60 93 55 91 / 50 30 20 10
LGD 61 93 60 89 / 40 40 50 20
GCD 61 95 59 91 / 60 30 30 10
DLS 70 92 60 91 / 50 20 20 10
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY ORZ049-050-502-507.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PDT TUESDAY ORZ042-505-506-509.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PDT TUESDAY ORZ044-508.
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM PDT MONDAY ORZ044-505-507.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PDT TUESDAY ORZ041.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY ORZ503.
WA...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY WAZ030.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PDT TUESDAY WAZ026>029.
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM PDT MONDAY WAZ026>029.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 AM PDT TUESDAY WAZ520.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PDT TUESDAY WAZ024-521.
&&
THREAT INDEX
MONDAY : RED
TUESDAY : YELLOW
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
89/99/99HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR 920 AM PDT SUN JUL 8 2012 UPDATED TO ADD MENTION OF THE HEAT ADVISORY ORZ041-042-044-049-050-502-503-505>509-WAZ024-026>030-520-521- 091115- 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- 920 AM PDT SUN JUL 8 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OREGON AS WELL AS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RED FLAG WARNING AND THUNDERSTORMS AREAWIDE HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS AT THE SURFACE WITH UNSTABLE AIR AND SOME MOISTURE IN THE MID LEVELS WILL LEAD TO ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS IN ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE BUT MOST STORMS WILL NOT BE SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ABUNDANT LIGHTNING WITH POSSIBLY LITTLE RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY ON THE EDGES OF THE THUNDERSTORM CELLS. THIS WILL CREATE A DANGEROUS FIRE THREAT DUE TO THE HOT AND DRY SURFACE CONDITIONS WITH DRY VEGETATION. AS A RESULT A RED FLAG WARNING WILL BECOME IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON FOR ALL AREAS OF THE FIRE WEATHER DISTRICT. PLEASE REFER TO NWS HAZARD PRODUCT ID PDXRFWPDT FOR MORE DETAILS. UPDATE...HOT TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TODAY...WITH DAYTIME HIGHS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 100 DEGREES IN SEVERAL AREAS. WITH HOT DAYTIME TEMPERATURES AND WARM NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURES THERE WILL BE LITTLE TO NO RELIEF FROM THE HEAT. THEREFORE A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH EXCEPTION OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND THE SOUTHERN OREGON FOOTHILLS. PLEASE REFER TO PRODUCT PDXNPWPDT FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY RED FLAG WARNING AND THUNDERSTORMS AREAWIDE MONDAY AND TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN ABUNDANT LIGHTNING WHICH MAY CAUSE ADDITIONAL FIRE STARTS DUE TO HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WITH DRY VEGETATION AT THE SURFACE. A RED FLAG WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO NWS HAZARD PRODUCT ID PDXRFWPDT FOR MORE DETAILS. ALSO, SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE BUT MOST STORMS WILL NOT BE SEVERE. THERE WILL BE SOME IMPROVEMENT BEGINNING LATE TUESDAY OR TUESDAY NIGHT WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER CONDITIONS AND A MORE STABLE ATMOSPHERE. HOWEVER ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY OVER MAINLY THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN HIGHER ELEVATIONS THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. .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.
The Medford radar (KMAX), 221 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:14 UTC.
10 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Mostly dime sized with a few nickel sized hailstones were observed.
Nickel sized hail accompanied by heavy rainfall for 10 minutes.
Hail accompanied by heavy rainfall and downed one tree limb.
Quarter sized hail dropped temperature from 90 degrees to 66 degrees.
Silver dollar sized hail reported at Sutter Lodge.
Heavy rainfall accompanied by small hail and wind gust to 30 mph.
Hail accompanied by wind gust to 40 mph.
Outflow from thunderstorms downed several large limbs in Echo.
A gustnado within an outflow area destroyed a farm shed, uprooted and broke off several large trees, damaged wheat and an irrigation wheel line.
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, July 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: 382690, 382680, 382681, 382682, 382692, 382684, 382685, 382686, 382693, 382687, 382688, 382678, 382676.