The last of a series of fronts brought high winds to portions of southwest and south central Oregon.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
The last of a series of fronts brought high winds to portions of southwest and south central Oregon.
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 Feb 18, 9:21 AM PST, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
921 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016
.DISCUSSION...ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION IN
ASSOCIATION WITH SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS MOVING INLAND. SNOW LEVELS
THIS MORNING ARE BETWEEN 2500 AND 3000 FEET AND COULD BRIEFLY
LOWER TO NEAR 2000 IN HEAVIER SHOWERS THROUGH EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. FOR THE MOST PART ROADS ARE WET WHERE SNOW IS OCCURRING.
THE EXCEPTION IS OVER THE HIGHER PASSES ALONG THE CASCADES, CRATER
LAKE AND DIAMOND LAKE AREAS WHERE ROADS ARE SNOW COVERED. CURRENT
FORECAST IS ON TRACK AND NO CHANGES WILL BE NEEDED FOR TODAY.
THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND WEAK RIDGING
BUILDS IN TONIGHT. SO WE COULD CATCH A RELATIVE BREAK IN THE
ACTION IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT, BUT
SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST ALONG THE CASCADES.
ANOTHER STRONG FRONT WILL REACH THE COAST FRIDAY MORNING, THEN
MOVE ONSHORE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. IT'S LIKELY WE'LL SEE ANOTHER ROUND
OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION WITH SNOW LEVELS BETWEEN 3000
AND 3500 FEET.
MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS WILL BE ANOTHER ISSUE EAST OF THE
CASCADES FOR THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS. WINDS COULD BRIEFLY DIMINISH
SOME TONIGHT, BUT MODERATE WINDS ARE STILL LIKELY TO CONTINUE OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF THE CASCADES AND SHASTA VALLEY.
-PETRUCELLI
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 18/12Z TAF CYCLE...MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED AT THE TERMINALS TODAY BUT HEAVIER SHOWERS WILL BRING
OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS AND TERRAIN OBSCURATION. GUSTY
WINDS...INITIALLY SOUTH...THEN WESTERLY...WILL ACCOMPANY A FRONT
ONSHORE LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. GUSTS OF 30-45 KT ARE
POSSIBLE, WITH THE STRONGEST GUSTS FELT ALONG THE COAST AND OVER THE
EAST SIDE. A BRIEF PERIOD OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS POSSIBLE AT
ROSEBURG THIS MORNING BEFORE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT BEGIN TO SURFACE.
ADDITIONALLY...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT THE COAST AND JUST
INLAND THIS MORNING. WINDS SHOULD EASE TONIGHT BEHIND THE
FRONT, BUT ANOTHER FRONT IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. SPILDE
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 245 AM PST THU 18 FEB 2016...A STRONG FRONT WILL
MOVE THROUGH TODAY WITH GALES AND VERY STEEP, HAZARDOUS SEAS. AN
EVEN STRONGER FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ON FRIDAY WITH HIGH END GALES
AND POSSIBLE STORM FORCE GUSTS. SEAS WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO
THE COMBINATION OF CHOPPY WIND WAVES AND VERY HIGH SWELL. MARINERS
WITHOUT PROPER EXPERIENCE ARE URGED TO REMAIN IN PORT OR SEEK SAFE
HARBOR UNTIL THIS BOUT OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER PASSES. HIGH PRESSURE
WILL BRING A BREAK IN THE ACTION FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT...THEN ANOTHER FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ON SUNDAY. SPILDE
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 404 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016/
DISCUSSION...A POTENT UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES PUSHING THROUGH THE
REGION THIS MORNING. THE COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED THROUGH THE EAST
SIDE WITH COLD AIR ALOFT PRODUCING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
COASTAL REGION. 500 MILLIBAR TEMPERATURES NEAR -30C ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO THE INSTABILITY.
AMPLE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE FOR MOST AREAS THROUGH THE
DAY WITH SNOW LEVELS NEAR 3500 FEET RISING TO BETWEEN 4000-5000
FEET BY LATE AFTERNOON. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE
OVER THE CASCADES AND SISKIYOUS AND HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE EAST
SIDE. SEE CURRENT WSWMFR PRODUCT FOR DETAILS. IN ADDITION...GUSTY
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON WITH WARNING-LEVEL
GUSTS BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH POSSIBLE EAST OF THE CASCADE IN OREGON
AND OVER ONLY THE HIGHEST TERRAIN IN SISKIYOU AND MODOC COUNTY.
SEE NPWMFR PRODUCT FOR DETAILS. THE COASTAL WATERS AND BEACHES
ESPECIALLY NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO WILL SEE A GOOD DEAL OF WESTERLY
WINDS TODAY AS WELL WITH GUSTS LIKELY REMAINING BELOW WARNING
CRITERIA. RAPID AND ERRATIC GUSTINESS WITH STRONG CONVECTIVE
CELLS MOVING ONSHORE WILL BE DISRUPTIVE. RAIN AND SNOW
SHOWERS AND WINDS WILL TAPER OFF TONIGHT.
ON FRIDAY ANOTHER VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA.
THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE TILT PROMISING ANOTHER ROUND OF
INCREASING STRONG GUSTY WINDS. WILL HOIST A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR
THE BEACHES BUT WILL ALLOW THE CURRENT EAST SIDE HEADLINES TO
RELAX BEFORE HIGHLIGHTING THE NEXT THREAT THERE. DAY SHIFT WILL
HAVE TO HANDLE THIS ONE COMING INTO THE EAST SIDE FRIDAY. A QUICK
BLAST OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION IS ALSO IN STORE WITH
SNOW LEVELS INITIALLY AT 5000 FEET OR HIGHER DROPPING THROUGH THE
DAY TO BETWEEN 3000 AND 4500 FEET NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS
THE CWA. SNOW TOTALS CURRENTLY DON'T LOOK LIKE THEY'LL REQUIRE
HIGHLIGHTS EXCEPT PERHAPS ADVISORIES IN CALIFORNIA. STAY TUNED.
THE WEEKEND IS LOOKING WARMER AND DRY WITH RIDGING MOVING
IN...HOWEVER ANOTHER SYSTEM SHOULD BE GRAZING THE COOS COAST BY
LATE SUNDAY. STAVISH
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ030-031.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ORZ029>031.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH WIND WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING FOR
ORZ021-022.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ORZ027-028.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR ORZ029.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR CAZ085.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ABOVE 3500
FEET FOR FOR CAZ080.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR CAZ084.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
CAZ082-083.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR CAZ081.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST FRIDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1121 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM HEAVY SNOW 4 SW WEED 41.37N 122.43W
02/18/2016 E6.0 INCH SISKIYOU CA TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTS 6 INCHES OF NEW SNOW BETWEEN
7PM LAST NIGHT AND 8AM THIS MORNING.
OBSERVER LOCATION 6 MI W BLACK BUTTE.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1124 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SW WEED 41.37N 122.43W
02/18/2016 M3.06 INCH SISKIYOU CA TRAINED SPOTTER
25 HOUR LIQUID PRECIPITATION TOTAL ENDING AT
8:00 AM. OBSERVER LOCATION 6 MI W BLACK
BUTTE.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1125 AM PST THU FEB 18 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 NNE SELMA 42.35N 123.57W
02/18/2016 M1.65 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL ENDING AT 8:30 AM.
OBSERVER LOCATION AT THE BASE OF HAYES HILL.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1249 PM PST THU FEB 18 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1248 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 SSW OBRIEN 42.05N 123.71W
02/18/2016 M1.02 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
12 HOUR AND 45 MINUTE RAIN TOTAL ENDING AT
12:45 PM. 24 HOUR TOTAL IS 2.15 INCHES.
OBSERVER LOCATION 1 MI S OF OBRIEN.
&&
BSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Rock Creek RAWS recorded a gust to 58 mph at 18/1527 PST and a gust to 64 mph at 18/1627 PST. The Summit RAWS recorded a gust to 58 mph at 18/1803 PST.
The Long Prairie RAWS recorded a gust to 59 mph at 19/0413 PST.
The Squaw Peak RAWS recorded a gust to 90 mph at 19/0639 PST and a gust to 91 mph at 19/0739 PST.
The Flynn Prairie RAWS recorded a gust to 72 mph at 19/0713 PST and a gust to 65 mph at 19/0813 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 2016
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: 613521, 613517, 613520, 613519.