A cold front produced strong winds that resulted in a lot of downed trees, power outages, and road closures.
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 PQR wrote it up.
A cold front produced strong winds that resulted in a lot of downed trees, power outages, and road closures.
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 Portland, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 17, 9:05 AM PST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
905 AM PST TUE NOV 17 2015
.SYNOPSIS...A MOIST FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS
MORNING WILL SINK SOUTH AS A COLD FRONT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE A BREAK IN THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN LATE
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...BUT THE NEXT MILD AND MOIST SYSTEM IS
EXPECTED TO BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL TO NORTHWEST OREGON
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT SETS UP THURSDAY NIGHT AND
FRIDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...MOIST CONVEYOR BELT CONTINUES TO BE DIRECTED AT WESTERN
WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON THIS MORNING. KAST PROFILER DATA
INDICATES PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES 1.1 TO 1.2 INCHES AS OF 16Z.
IMPRESSIVE RAINFALL RATES IN SW WA AND THE NORTH OREGON COAST AND
COAST RANGE LAST EVENING...WITH SOME SPOTS SHOWING SEVERAL HOURS OF
0.3 TO 0.5 INCH PER HOUR RAINFALL. HIGHER RESOLUTION MODELS SUCH AS
THE HRRR AND RAP WERE WOEFULLY UNDERDONE ON THE PRECIP. KAST PROFILER
DATA ALSO SHOWS SNOW LEVELS AROUND 7000 FT THIS MORNING.
MODELS STILL HAVE THE WARM FRONT LIFTING A BIT MORE NORTH THIS
MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...WITH THE HEAVIEST PRECIP PUSHED INTO SW
WASHINGTON. 850 MB WEST FLOW OF 40-60 KT INTO THE HIGHER TERRAIN WILL
PROVIDE VERY EFFICIENT OROGRAPHIC LIFT TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN SW
WA. THE MOIST BAROCLINIC ZONE FINALLY SAGS SOUTH AS A COLD FRONT LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MODELS SHOW THE LEADING EDGE OF THE 850
MB THERMAL GRADIENT AND 1000-700 MB THICKNESS PACKING REACHING THE S
WA COAST LATE THIS AFTEROON...THEN PUSHING TO THE CENTRAL COAST AND
SOUTH INTERIOR VALLEYS BY MIDNIGHT. MODEL QPF FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING SHOW VARYING SOLUTIONS. GFS HAS A 1.5 TO 2.0 INCH 6-HR
BULLSEYE OVER THE S WA CASCADES IN THE 18Z-00Z PERIOD...FOLLOWED BY
1.5 TO 2.0 INCH 6-HR CORE OVER THE N OREGON CASCADES AND FOOTHILLS
00Z-06Z WED. QPF GRIDS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED. CURRENT FLOOD WATCH FOR NW
OREGON LOOKS GOOD...BUT MAY SEE A COUPLE MORE RIVERS REACH FLOOD ONCE
NEW RIVER FORECASTS ARE OUT.
THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN TODAY AND EXPECT STRONG
WIND THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE STRONGEST GUSTS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE
COAST...COAST RANGE AND THE CASCADES MID TO LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH
THE EARLY EVENING. THE HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE S WA AND N
OREGON COAST...THE WILLAPA HILLS AND N OREGON COAST RANGE. MAY ALSO
GET A FEW GUSTS TO 60 MPH ON THE CENTRAL OREGON COASTAL HEADLANDS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT SHOULD NOT BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO WARRANT
A WARNING. PEAK WIND PERIOD APPEARS TO BE FROM AROUND 21Z THROUGH 02Z
WED. BESIDES STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BEACHES WILL HAVE THE ADDITIONAL
HAZARD OF DANGEROUS BREAKING WAVES. THOSE PLANNING ON HEADING TO THE
BEACH DURING BREAKS IN THE RAIN MAY WANT TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE FROM
THE WATERS EDGE.
THE COLD FRONT FINALLY SHIFTS TO SOUTHERN OREGON OVERNIGHT. BY THE
TIME SNOW LEVELS DROP BACK DOWN TO CASCADE PASS LEVELS...THE BULK OF
THE PRECIP WILL HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED. THUS...NOT EXPECTING SNOW
ADVISORY CRITERIA TO BE MET. ANOTHER MOIST WARM FRONT WILL APPROACH
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ADDITIONAL RAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.
THE SNOW LEVELS WILL BE SLOW TO RISE AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND EXPECT A
QUICK BURST OF SNOW FOR THE CASCADE PASSES AS THE MOISTURE FIRST
REACHES THE CASCADES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW LEVELS SHOULD RISE
ABOVE 6000 FEET EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...WITH A POSSIBLE DELAY FOR
THE WASHINGTON CASCADES.
THIS SYSTEM IS VERY MOIST AS SATELLITE DERIVED PRECIPITABLE WATERS
NEAR THE ORIGIN POINT ARE AROUND 2 INCHES...WHICH IS THE HIGHEST WE
HAVE SEEN FROM THE RECENT ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENTS. THE PRECIPITABLE
WATER WILL DECREASE AS THE FRONT NEARS THE COAST...BUT THERE IS GREAT
POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAIN. EXPECT 1 TO 3 INCHES OF
RAIN FOR THE COAST...COAST RANGE AND THE CASCADES WEDNESDAY EVENING
THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...AND 0.75 TO 1.25 INCH FOR THE INTERIOR LOW
LANDS. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE WITH THIS SYSTEM IS THAT THE MOISTURE CORE
IS AIMED MORE AT NORTHWEST OREGON INSTEAD OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.
MODELS FORECAST THAT THE BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL MOVE RATHER QUICKLY
ACROSS THE AREA...WITH RAIN ENDING THURSDAY EVENING. THIS WILL HELP
LIMIT THE RAINFALL TOTALS AND FLOODING POTENTIAL. IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE
THE AREA OF HEAVIEST RAIN WILL BE ACROSS NW OREGON RATHER THAN SW
WASHINGTON. THE RIVERS TO THE SOUTH HAVE TAKEN LESS OF A BEATING THE
PAST WEEK THAN WASHINGTON...IN REGARDS TO RAIN TOTALS...AND THIS MAY
ALSO HELP REDUCE FLOODING CONCERNS. RAIN WILL DECREASE THURSDAY NIGHT
WITH DRY WEATHER LIKELY FRIDAY. WEISHAAR
.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...THURSDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY...A SHORTWAVE MOVES QUICKLY ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY
BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN...THOUGH LIKELY NOT VERY MUCH. SNOW
LEVELS WILL BE DOWN AROUND 4000 TO 6000 FT...SO THE PASSES MAY SEE
ANOTHER INCH OR TWO OF SNOW. BEYOND FRIDAY...THE GFS BUILDS HIGH
PRESSURE OVER THE AREA KEEPING US DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WHILE THE
ECMWF IS A LITTLE SLOWER MOVING THE SHOWERS OUT OF OUR AREA AND KEEPS
A CHANCE OF RAIN THROUGH SATURDAY. BY SUNDAY AT THE LATEST...WE
SHOULD BE DRY WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL
COOL DOWN AS WELL ...ESPECIALLY BY MONDAY. BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS
SUGGEST ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM BRINGING MORE RAIN EARLY NEXT
WEEK...BUT DETAILS ARE VERY UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. -MCCOY
&&
.AVIATION...MIXED FLIGHT CONDITIONS WITH BREEZY SW WINDS THROUGH
LATE THIS EVENING BEHIND A WARM FRONT PUSHING FURTHER INLAND.
EXPECT MOSTLY MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS ALONG THE COAST WITH STRONGER
WIND GUSTS UP TO 40-45 KT. EXPECT MOSTLY VFR/MVFR CONDITIONS
INLAND WITH GUSTS 25-30 KT. RAIN TAPERS OFF TONIGHT AND EARLY
TUESDAY AM...WITH OVERALL CONDITIONS IMPROVING TO MOSTLY VFR. THEN A
STRONG TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATER TUE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. HEAVY RAIN...DECREASING CIGS AND VSBYS...AND VERY GUSTY
SW WINDS TO ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...MOSTLY MVFR CIGS AROUND 1500-3500 FT IN RAIN
AND BREEZY SW WINDS WITH GUSTS 25-30 KT THROUGH 23Z TUE-02Z WED
THIS AFTERNOON AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH. VFR CONDITIONS RETURN
TONIGHT THEN NEXT STRONG COLD FRONT ARRIVES TUE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...BRINGING HEAVIER RAIN...GUSTY S WINDS AND MVFR
CONDITIONS. FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE TERMINAL BY
AROUND 03Z WED...WITH WINDS SWITCHING TO W-NW BEHIND THE FRONT.
/27
&&
.MARINE...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS STARTING TO INCREASE THIS
MORNING WITH GUSTS AROUND 33-35 KT. GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS WILL
START POPPING UP THE NEXT HOUR OVER THE NORTHERN WATERS...SO GALE
WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT. MODELS STILL SHOWING GALES THEN MOVING
INTO THE CENTRAL WATERS LATER THIS MORNING...WITH THE STRONGEST
WIND GUSTS 40-45 KT EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. COULD SEE A FEW
LOCAL GUSTS NEAR 50 KT POSSIBLE BETWEEN 1-5 PM. SOUTHERLY WINDS
WILL TURN SOUTHWESTERLY AGAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN A RAPID
SHIFT TO NORTHWESTERLY BEHIND THE FRONT EARLY TONIGHT.
SEAS RUNNING BETWEEN 14 TO 18 FT THIS MORNING...AND EXPECT SEAS
TO PEAK AROUND 23 FT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HIGH SURF
CONDITIONS TO AFFECT TO THE SW WASHINGTON AND NW OREGON COAST
THROUGH TONIGHT.
ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED FOR WED NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AND
LOOKS TO HAVE A SURFACE LOW HEADED STRAIGHT FOR NW OREGON...WHICH
WOULD BRING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY WINDS TO THE
WATERS...PARTICULARLY OVER THE CENTRAL OREGON WATERS. MODELS THEN
AGREE ON HIGHER PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE NE PAC FOR THE END OF
THE WEEK AND THE WEEKEND. CULLEN/27
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR COAST RANGE OF
NORTHWEST OREGON-NORTH OREGON COAST.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT FOR
NORTH OREGON COAST.
FLOOD WATCH FROM 3 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON FOR COAST RANGE OF NORTHWEST OREGON-NORTH OREGON
COAST.
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR SOUTH
WASHINGTON COAST-WILLAPA HILLS.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT FOR
SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST.
PZ...GALE WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 9 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CASCADE HEAD OR TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR UNTIL 4 AM
PST WEDNESDAY.
&&
INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND
WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS
COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.6 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds downed 24 trees along Interstate 84, and closed the freeway overnight.
Strong west winds downed 24 trees along Interstate 84 and closed the highway overnight.
A 80 year old woman was trapped in bed all night after strong winds uprooted a large fir tree that fell on her house. The tree split the house in half. Several days of heavy rain contributed to weakened root system from saturated soils.
The Tidewater RAWS station measured sustained winds of 47 mph with a peak gust of 72 mph. A wind gust of 86 mph was measured at Mount Hebo.
The Rockhouse RAWS measured a peak gust of 63 mph, and the near by BPA weather station at Mary's Peak measured a peak gust of 76mph.
The Middle Mountain RAWS measured a peak gust of 63 mph, and a rare west wind gust of 55 mph was measured in Parkdale.
Several weather stations measured sustained winds around 40 mph with gusts in the 50+ mph range. THe BPA weather station in Tillamook measured a peak gust of 63 mph.
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, November 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: 608625, 608626, 608757, 608622, 608623, 608624, 608621.