An incoming front brought high winds to some areas along the southern Oregon coast.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 MFR wrote it up.
An incoming front brought high winds to some areas along the southern Oregon coast.
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 Mar 23, 4:22 PM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
522 PM PDT MON MAR 23 2015
UPDATED AVIATION SECTION
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 24/00Z TAF CYCLE...LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO
THE NORTH COAST OF OREGON LATER THIS EVENING. THIS WILL BRING
WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS, RAIN AND STRONG WINDS TO THE COAST. GUSTS OF
30 TO 40 KT WILL BE COMMON WITH 45 KT IN SOME EXPOSED LOCATIONS.
LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS LIKELY AT KOTH FOR A FEW HOURS THIS
EVENING UNTIL WINDS BECOME MORE ONSHORE AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE.
INLAND, EXPECT A MIX OF VFR/MVFR TONIGHT WITH TERRAIN OBSCURATIONS
IN RAIN AND SNOW. RIDGE WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG TONIGHT AS WELL.
EAST OF THE CASCADES...EXPECT VFR TONIGHT WITH AREAS OF MVFR AND
HIGHER TERRAIN OBSCURED IN LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW. LOW CONDITIONS
WILL GRADUALLY LIFT TO VFR TUESDAY. SPILDE
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 229 PM PDT MON MAR 23 2015/
SHORT TERM...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS WINDING UP AROUND 130W THIS
AFTERNOON WHICH WILL BRING RAIN, WIND, AND MOUNTAIN SNOW TO OUR
REGION THIS EVENING INTO TUESDAY. THICK CLOUD ASSOCIATED WITH
OVER-RUNNING/ISENTROPIC LIFT IS SPREADING INLAND WELL OUT AHEAD
OF THE MAIN SYSTEM. STRATIFORM RAIN CAN ALREADY BEEN SEEN
EXPANDING OVER MUCH OF THE WEST SIDE ON THE KMFR RADAR, AND
WEBCAMS AND OBS SHOW THAT IT'S ALREADY RAINING AT A GOOD CLIP
ALONG THE COAST. STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE QUICKLY
INLAND THIS EVENING AS THE LOW APPROACHES THE COAST AND A STRONG
UPPER JET NOSES IN.
THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL
NEAR LINCOLN CITY, OR AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, AND THERE IS
VIRTUALLY NO DISAGREEMENT AMONG MODELS IN THIS REGARD. MOST OF THE
WIND AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE LOW
CENTER WHICH PUTS THE IMPACTS SQUARELY OVER OUR AREA. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS BETWEEN NOW AND NOON TOMORROW ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM
AN INCH ALONG THE NORTH COAST TO 3-4 INCHES AT THE SOUTH COAST.
INLAND WEST SIDE AREAS ARE LOOKING AT 0.75-1 INCH WITH GENERALLY
LESS THAN A THIRD OF AN INCH ON THE EAST SIDE AND MOST OF NORCAL.
WE WILL LIKELY SEE THE USUAL PONDING AND RUNOFF AT THE PEAK OF THE
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT, BUT WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY SIGNIFICANT
FLOODING.
MOST OF THIS WILL FALL AS SNOW ABOVE 4500 FEET IN THE MOUNTAINS,
AND WITH DEEP, MOIST WESTERLY FLOW, THE CASCADES WILL BEAR THE
BRUNT OF IT. WE ARE EXPECTING A FOOT OR MORE OF SNOW AROUND CRATER
AND DIAMOND LAKES WITH LESSER (BUT STILL SIGNIFICANT) AMOUNTS
FURTHER SOUTH. WHILE SNOW WILL LIKELY FALL AT SISKIYOU SUMMIT FOR
A WHILE TONIGHT, ROAD TEMPERATURES ARE STILL FORECAST TO BE TOO
WARM FOR ANY ACCUMULATIONS ON I5 - UNLESS THE SNOW COMES DOWN MUCH
HARDER THAN CURRENTLY EXPECTED, THAT IS. WE WILL KEEP AN EYE ON
THAT. SNOW WILL ALSO SPILL OVER ONTO THE EAST SIDE MUCH OF TONIGHT
BEFORE SNOW LEVELS RISE TOMORROW MORNING. THE MOST IMPACTFUL
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THROUGH THE HIGHWAY 97 CORRIDOR OVER
NORTHERN KLAMATH COUNTY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED
FOR THAT AREA. SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THIS STORM WILL ALSO BRING WIND. THE COAST
(ESPECIALLY THE NORTH COAST) AND MOUNTAINS WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF
THE WIND. WHILE THIS IS NOT A GOOD SETUP FOR HIGH WIND ON THE EAST
SIDE, AND IT COMES AT NIGHT WHEN STABILITY TENDS TO LIMIT WIND,
WE SHOULD SEE SOME WIND MAKE IT TO THE SURFACE OVERNIGHT. THE
WIND ADVISORY ALREADY IN EFFECT HAS BEEN EXPANDED. SEE PDXNPWMFR
FOR DETAILS.
THE IMPACTS WILL DIMINISH BY TUESDAY MORNING, BUT SHOWERY
PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY LAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. WE WILL
DRY OUT AND WARM UP WEDNESDAY AS A STRONG UPPER RIDGE BEGINS
BUILDING OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. -WRIGHT
LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
THE EXTENDED PERIOD WILL START OFF WITH A STRONG LONG WAVE RIDGE
ALONG THE WEST COAST. THIS RIDGE WILL BE SLOW TO MOVE OUT AS IT
WILL WAVER BACK AND FORTH OVER THE AREA INTO SATURDAY. THE
EC...GFS...AND DGEX ALL CONCUR ON THIS SCENARIO.
DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL WEDNESDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH A WARMING
TREND. THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY HIGHS INLAND WILL LIKELY BE 15 TO 20
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
THE EC...GFS...AND DGEX NOW ALL AGREE ON HOW THE RIDGE WILL BREAK
DOWN WITH A CUTOFF LOW UNDERCUTTING THE RIDGE...BUT DIFFER ON THE
TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE CUTOFF. THE GFS IS FASTER WITH A
SHALLOWER WAVE WHILE THE EC HAS THE DEEPEST CUTOFF LOW AND LAGS IT
OFFSHORE AND FARTHER SOUTH. THIS DIFFERENCE HAS THE BIGGEST EFFECT
ON THE SUNDAY FORECAST...SEE BELOW.
THE WEEKEND SCENARIO COULD PROVE TO BE QUITE INTERESTING IN TERMS OF
LOCAL WEATHER AS THIS IS A CLASSIC THUNDERSTORM PATTERN DURING THE
LATE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS. ITS A BIT EARLY...BUT THE MODEL
SOLUTIONS DO SHOW CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY...AND IT WILL BE PLENTY WARM
IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO IT. WILL CONTINUE TO GO WITH SHOWERS FOR
NOW BUT THEY MAY BE UPGRADED TO THUNDERSTORMS DOWN THE LINE.
ALL THE MODELS SUPPORT CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SATURDAY...BUT THE GFS
AND DGEX SHOWS A LOT LESS SUPPORT ON SUNDAY AS THE WAVE WILL BE TO
THE EAST OF THE AREA BY THEN AND FLOW ALOFT WILL HAVE COME AROUND TO
NORTHWEST. MEANWHILE THE SLOWER EC STILL KEEPS THE WAVE OFFSHORE
AND FARTHER SOUTH...WITH SOUTH WINDS ALOFT HANGING ON.
THE INCREASED CLOUD COVER WILL MAKE FOR COOLER CONDITIONS SATURDAY
WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 10 DEGREES COOLER THAN THE FRIDAY
HIGHS WEST OF THE CASCADES. THE BIG COOLDOWN WILL OCCUR SUNDAY EAST
OF THE CASCADES. -JRS
MARINE...UPDATED 230 PM PDT MONDAY 23 MAR 2015...LOW PRESSURE
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS TONIGHT WITH GALE FORCE WINDS AND
VERY STEEP HAZARDOUS SEAS. WINDS AND SEAS WILL EASE LATER TONIGHT
INTO TUESDAY AS THIS DISTURBANCE MOVES INLAND. HIGH PRESSURE WILL
REBUILD WEDNESDAY AND PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY. NORTHERLY WINDS AND
CHOPPY SEAS MAY RETURN OVER THE WEEKEND. SPILDE
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 2 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR
ORZ021-022-615-618-619.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR ORZ030.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR
ORZ030-031-624-625.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM PDT TUESDAY ABOVE 4500 FEET
FOR FOR ORZ027-028-617-621-623-624.
CA...NONE.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 2 AM PDT
TUESDAY FOR PZZ356-376.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 5 PM PDT TUESDAY
FOR PZZ356-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 2 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 2 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FROM 2 AM TO 5 PM PDT
TUESDAY FOR PZZ350-370.
MAS/TRW/JRSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
410 PM PDT MON MAR 23 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0409 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW OBRIEN 42.06N 123.73W
03/23/2015 M0.68 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
HEAVY RAIN DURATION 24 HOURS. OBSERVER
LOCATION 1.6 MILES FROM HWY 199 IN O BRIEN.
&&
MNDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ODOT sensor at Humbug Mountain recorded a gust to 58 mph at 23/1847 PST and a gust to 60 mph at 23/1917 PST.
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, March 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: 556170.