A low pressure system off the Pacific provided a moist southerly flow to the forecast area. Strong southerly winds associated with the warm front would mix down to the surface across several areas in central and northeast Oregon.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 low pressure system off the Pacific provided a moist southerly flow to the forecast area. Strong southerly winds associated with the warm front would mix down to the surface across several areas in central and northeast Oregon. As a result strong wind gusts and several reports of damage occurred. Wind gusts in MPH are as followed: (86) 3 miles N of Joseph, (74) near Mitchell, (71) 8 miles WSW of Grass Valley, (60) in Bend, (58) 9 miles E of Dufur. Wind damage was reported in several areas as well. A 55ft crank up ham radio tower was lost in the wind event. A tree fell on a House in Enterprise. Lots of damage to trees and some structures at a chimp sanctuary in Tumalo. Shingles blown off a roof just west of Mitchell. Power outages in Wallowa County. Central Electric Power reported 650 customers without power in Bend & Redmond, and another 300 customers without power in Tumalo.
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 Feb 5, 7:20 PM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
720 PM PST THU FEB 5 2015
.UPDATE...MANY CONCERNS IN THE FORECAST TONIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS WITHIN AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS WILL RESULT
IN PERIODS OF RAIN...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE HEAVY IN THE MOUNTAINS.
RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE IN RESPONSE TO THE RAINFALL.
SOME RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH BANKFULL LEVELS. THIS IS COVERED
WITH A RIVER STATEMENT FOR THE RIVERS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
BANKFULL. THE NEXT CONCERN IS THE TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENTS
WHICH WILL RESULT IN STRONG GUSTY WINDS DEVELOPING...ESPECIALLY OVER
THE MOUNTAINS...BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY
EVENING. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT IN ALL OF THE MOUNTAIN
ZONES FROM THE BLUE MOUNTAINS SOUTHWARD AND THE OREGON CASCADE EAST
SLOPES WITH WIND ADVISORIES FOR CENTRAL OREGON...THE JOHN DAY
BASIN...THE BLUE MOUNTAIN FOOTHILLS AND THE GRANDE RONDE VALLEY NEAR
LADD AND PYLE CANYONS. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR
LATE FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON DURING MAXIMUM HEATING
WHICH IS WHEN THE BEST VERTICAL MIXING WILL TAKE PLACE TO PULL THE
HIGHER WINDS ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE. THE WINDS ON SATURDAY WILL
NOT BE QUITE AS STRONG BUT THERE WILL STILL POSSIBLY BE A NEED FOR
AT LEAST SOME WIND HIGHLIGHTS ON SATURDAY AS WELL. TEMPERATURES AND
SNOW LEVELS WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEKEND. 88
&&
.AVIATION...06Z TAFS...MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT
BUT THERE COULD BE SOME MVFR OR EVEN IFR CONDITIONS DUE TO LOW CIGS
AND RAIN DUE TO THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM TO MOVE INTO THE REGION.
CONDITIONS WILL BECOME WORSE ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT WITH MORE
WIDESPREAD LOW CIGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY IN RAIN CAUSING FREQUENT
IFR CONDITIONS. PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL INCREASE TO CAUSE VERY WINDY
CONDITIONS AT KPDT...KALW...KRDM AND KBDN. WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE
AT THE REMAINING TAF SITES BUT ARE EXPECTED TO STAY BELOW ADVISORY
SPEEDS. 88
&&
.PREV DISC... /ISSUED 445 PM PST THU FEB 5 2015/
SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A VERY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. A STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW
FULL OF MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO PROPAGATE SHORTWAVES ACROSS THE
REGION BRINGING PERIODS OF RAIN TO THE FORECAST AREA ALONG WITH
WINDY CONDITIONS. TIMING OF SYSTEMS WILL BE COMPLICATED BY THE SPEED
AT WHICH THEY ARE MOVING IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW WHICH MODELS TEND TO
HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME WITH FROM RUN TO RUN. EXPECT SOME WARM
FRONTAL LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
OVERNIGHT FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING IN WHICH PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL BE GREATER. SNOW LEVELS
WILL BE 7000 TO 8000 FEET AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT THEN DROP DOWN TO
AROUND 6000 FEET FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS MEANS MAINLY RAIN PRECIPITATION
TYPE EXPECT FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. EXPECT 80 TO 90 KNOTS WINDS
AROUND 10000 FEET TO MOVE ACROSS OREGON AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT
FRIDAY AND INTERACT WITH THE HIGHER TERRAIN WHICH WILL PRODUCE SOME
VERY STRONG WINDS IN SOME AREAS. HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES
WILL BE ISSUED AS PART OF THE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE TO COVER
THIS EVENT. FOLLOWING A BRIEF BREAK FRIDAY NIGHT EXPECT ANOTHER WARM
FRONT TO LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE THE FORECAST AREA ON SATURDAY
BRINGING MORE RAIN AS WELL AS SOME WINDY CONDITIONS. COULD SEE
ANOTHER BREAK SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO EARLY SUNDAY BEFORE YET
ANOTHER SYSTEM ROLLS INTO THE AREA SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. SNOW
LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ABOVE PASS LEVELS THROUGH THE SHORT TERM
AND THEREFORE NOT A TRAVEL ISSUE.
LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER
ASSOCIATED WITH A MOISTURE PLUME CONTINUES TRANSPORTING MOISTURE
INTO THE INTERIOR PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNDAY NIGHT AND BRINGS A WARM
FRONT WITH OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION FOR RAIN AT TIMES ALONG WITH A
WEAK MID/UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE RIDING OVER THE LONG WAVE MID/UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. SNOW LEVELS SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE
7000-8000 FEET. ON MONDAY A STRONG MID/UPPER LEVEL LONG WAVE TROUGH
MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST AND APPROACHES THE COAST THUS PUSHING A COLD
FRONT THROUGH THE REGION ON MONDAY, RESULTING IN SNOW LEVELS
LOWERING TO AROUND 6000 FEET. THE COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN
EASTWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY FOR
LIKELY POPS. MONDAY NIGHT THE UPPER TROUGH TRAVERSES THE FORECAST
AREA OVERNIGHT TUESDAY AND THEN EXITS THE REGION BY DAYBREAK ON
TUESDAY. SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF IN THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS OF OREGON
AFTER DAYBREAK ON TUESDAY AND END IN THE AFTERNOON. TUESDAY NIGHT
THROUGH THURSDAY A VERY STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ALONG
THE COAST AND SLOWLY MOVES INLAND OVER THE INTERIOR PACIFIC
NORTHWEST FOR DRY CONDITIONS PERSISTING THROUGH THURSDAY. SUBSIDENCE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIDGE WILL PRODUCE A SURFACE BASED TEMPERATURE
INVERSION, WHICH WILL TRAP MOISTURE IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER, THUS
YIELDING LOW STRATUS CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG ACROSS THE LOWER COLUMBIA
BASIN AND ADJACENT VALLEYS AS WELL AS ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE
BLUE MOUNTAINS. THE FOG WILL MIX OUT SOMEWHAT AND BECOME MISTY AS
THE LOW STRATUS CEILINGS LIFT DURING LATE MORNING THROUGH AFTERNOON
ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE AREAL EXTENT OF MIST/FOG WILL
INCREASE IN THE EVENING AND THICKEN TO AREAS OF FOG FROM MID EVENING
THROUGH OVERNIGHT, BECOMING LOCALLY DENSE WHERE THE STRATUS DECK
MEETS TERRAIN, WITH THE LOCALLY DENSE FOG CONTINUING PAST DAYBREAK
ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. POLAN
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 48 59 43 58 / 70 90 60 70
ALW 49 60 44 56 / 70 100 70 80
PSC 46 57 45 57 / 70 80 40 70
YKM 38 48 36 46 / 70 80 50 70
HRI 45 59 43 58 / 60 80 40 70
ELN 37 49 36 48 / 80 80 50 70
RDM 43 57 39 55 / 60 80 70 60
LGD 41 53 39 54 / 70 90 80 80
GCD 39 56 42 56 / 60 90 80 70
DLS 43 53 41 54 / 80 90 60 80
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 11 PM PST FRIDAY
ORZ050-502-503-506-509.
WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 11 PM PST FRIDAY
ORZ505-511.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 11 PM PST FRIDAY ORZ507-508.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PST FRIDAY FOR LADD AND PYLES CANYONS
IN THE ORZ049.
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 11 PM PST FRIDAY
WAZ030.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 11 PM PST FRIDAY WAZ029.
&&
FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT...
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON
88/99/88The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two areas of 10 to 20 trees down.
Ten inch diameter tree down with 4 inch diameter limbs associated.
About 25% of the shingles were blown off a roof along with the tar paper. CB antenna broken at base and on the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 2015
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: 551259, 551261, 551260, 551263, 551262, 551264.