A strong low pressure system produced strong winds across the region. The winds took down trees and power lines resulting in traffic obstructions and property damage.
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 strong low pressure system produced strong winds across the region. The winds took down trees and power lines resulting in traffic obstructions and property damage.
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 Mar 13, 2:43 AM PST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
343 AM PDT SUN MAR 13 2016
.SYNOPSIS...STRONG LOW PRES WILL MOVE N JUST OFFSHORE...AND INTO
WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY. THIS WILL BRING RAIN...AND WINDY CONDITIONS
ACROSS THE REGION. WINDS WILL EASE THIS EVENING... BUT COOLER
UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL MAINTAIN SHOWERS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...WITH
SNOW ABOVE 2500 FT. SHOWERS DECREASING ON TUE AND WED... THEN HIGH
PRES BUILDS WITH DRY AND MILD WEATHER.
&&
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...
ALL EYES NOW TURNING TO STRONG LOW PRES THAT IS RAPIDLY DEEPENING
ABOUT 400 MILES TO SW OF NEWPORT. AFTER DAYS OF INCONSISTENCY... NAM
AND GFS MODELS MOSTLY AGREE IN THEIR STRENGTH AND TRACK OF THE LOW
INTO THE PAC NW. EVENING MODELS RUNS DEEPENS THE LOW TO BETWEEN 982
AND 986 MB IT PASSES ABOUT 150 TO 200 MILES OFF THE NORTH OREGON
COAST ON ITS WAY TO NW WASHINGTON. NAM KEEPS THE LOW BIT CLOSER TO
THE COAST... BUT ABOUT 100 MILES ON A SIMILAR TRACK. EITHER WAY...
SEEMS CURRENT FORECASTS ARE ON TRACK...WITH WINDS INCREASING ACROSS
THE REGION LATER THIS AM AS THE LOW PASSES. LATEST 06Z NAM AND GFS
SHOWING SIMILAR TRENDS.
WILL BE SOME GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS ALONG THE COAST THIS AM
AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BUT STRONGEST WINDS WILL HOLD BACK A BIT.
CURRENT TIMING WOULD SWING THE FRONT ONSHORE BETWEEN 10 AM AND 1 PM.
THAT IS LIKELY WHEN THE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS KICK INTO THE REGION.
WHILE LOW MAY NOT BE AS DEEP AS EARLIER ANTICIPATED... SHOULD BE
ENOUGH PRES GRADIENT TO SUPPORT 55 TO 65 MPH GUSTS ON THE COAST AND
HIGHER RIDGES OF THE COASTAL MTNS. SEEMS COAST OF WEST CENTRAL OREGON
MAY EXPERIENCE WINDS A BIT EARLIER AS NOAA SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING
THE LOW A BIT CLOSER. WILL TWEAK START OF THE WARNING FOR THAT AREA
TO START AT 7 AM TODAY. FURTHER INLAND...NOT ALL THAT MUCH SUPPORT
FOR ANY REAL STRONG WINDS. LOW LEVEL WINDS MAY TURN SOUTHERLY...BUT
BY THAT TIME THE 850/700 MB WINDS ARE ALREADY VEERING TO THE W/SW.
WILL KEEP INLAND WINDS GUSTING 30 TO 45 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. BOTTOM
LINE IS THAT WHILE THE TIMING OF WINDS LOOKS ON TRACK... BUT SPEEDS
MAY STILL BE A TAD BIT TOO HIGH. WILL TWEAK WARNINGS/ADVISORIES TO
REFLECT THESE CHANGES...AND END THESE ALL BY 6 PM. WILL STILL BE
SOMEWHAT BREEZY INTO THIS EVENING.
OTHER CHALLENGE FOR TODAY WILL BE THE SNOW FORECAST FOR THE CASCADES.
STILL HAVE SNOW ADVISORY UP FOR THIS AM...WHERE MAY SEE ANOTHER 2 TO
6 INCHES OF SNOW THIS AM. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE A TAD THIS AM...BUT
ONLY UP TO ROUGHLY 4000 FT. ONCE COLDER AIR ARRIVES THIS
AFTERNOON...SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER AGAIN...AND SIT AT 2500 TO 3000 FT
TONIGHT THROUGH MON. AS FLOW TURNS MORE PRO-OROGRAPHIC LATER TODAY
AND THIS EVENING... SHOULD SEE SNOW PRODUCTION BECOMING MORE
EFFICIENT OVER THE CASCADES. STILL THINK WILL SEE 10 TO 18 INCHES OF
SNOW DURING THAT TIME FRAME. WILL UPGRADE THE WINTER STORM WATCH TO A
WINTER STORM WARNING.
SHOWERS CONTINUE ON MONDAY...AND INTO TUE AS BROAD UPPER LOW OVER
GULF OF ALASKA MAINTAINS A COOL WESTERLY FLOW INTO PAC NW. WITH SNOW
LEVELS BETWEEN 2500 AND 3000 FEET...SHOULD SEE MORE SNOW IN THE
CASCADES...BUT MAY BE MORE HIT AND MISS AS TO BIGGER ACCUMULATIONS.
THAT SAID...STILL SEE ANOTHER 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW FOR LATE MON
THROUGH TUE. ROCKEY.
.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...TUESDAY NIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY. PATTERN CHANGE IN STORE MIDWEEK...BRINGING DRY AND
SUNNY WEATHER TO OUR AREA. SHOWERS TO GRADUALLY TAPER OFF TUESDAY
NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY AS UPPER-RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE EASTERN
PACIFIC. CLEARING SKIES WEDNESDAY WITH LIGHT OFFSHORE WINDS WILL
ALLOW AT LEAST PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP THURSDAY MORNING IN INLAND
VALLEYS. OFFSHORE GRADIENT STRENGTHENS ON THURSDAY WITH THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A THERMAL TROUGH OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN CAL AND
SOUTHERN OREGON...WHICH WILL INCREASE EASTERLY WINDS AND RAPIDLY
CLEAR OUT ANY FOG LATE THURSDAY MORNING. CLEAR SUNNY SKIES AND MILD
WEATHER IS IN STORE FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY ACROSS OUR AREA. FRIDAY
LOOKS TO BE THE WARMEST DAY...AS THE OFFSHORE GRADIENT RELAXES
WEAKENING THE EASTERLY FLOW ACROSS OUR AREA. I SUSPECT THE MODELS ARE
BREAKING DOWN THE RIDGE TOO EARLY...AS THEY TEND TO DO FURTHER OUT IN
THE EXTENDED...BUT RIGHT NOW THEY BRING RAIN BACK TO OUR AREA ON
SATURDAY. THEREFORE HAVE LOW POPS IN THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY...BUT
COULD VERY WELL BE ANOTHER DRY MILD DAY ON SATURDAY. -MCCOY
&&
.AVIATION...A DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW CURRENTLY OFF OF THE S OREGON
COAST WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AND EVENTUALLY ONSHORE ALONG THE
CENTRAL WASHINGTON COAST BY THIS AFTERNOON. ASSOCIATED STRONG
SOUTHERLY WINDS TO DEVELOP FROM SOUTH TO NORTH ALONG THE COAST
THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS 40 TO
50 KT POSSIBLE AT THE COASTAL TAF SITES. THE INTERIOR WILL ALSO
BECOME GUSTY LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS OF
30 TO 40 KT EXPECTED.
RAIN CONTINUES TODAY. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH THIS
MORNING...WITH
A TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVING ONSHORE AROUND MIDDAY AND THROUGH THE
INTERIOR THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT A MIX OF VFR AND MVFR THROUGH
AROUND 18Z...WITH PREDOMINANTLY MVFR WITH POCKETS OF IFR
DEVELOPING WITH THE COLD FRONT BETWEEN 18Z AND 21Z. SHOWERS WILL
CONTINUE TONIGHT BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...CONDITIONS IMPROVING
A BIT TO A MIX OF VFR AND MVFR.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...LIGHT RAIN AND A MIX OF VFR AND MVFR
CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH AROUND 18Z. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE TERMINAL NEAR MIDDAY...WITH CONDITIONS DETERIORATING
TO PREDOMINANTLY MVFR AROUND THIS TIME. SOUTHERLY WINDS GUSTING 30
TO 40 KT WILL LIKELY DEVELOP DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON
HOURS. PYLE
&&
.MARINE...A SURFACE LOW PRES SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING ALONG
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ABOUT 300 MILES OFF THE S OREGON COAST. THIS
LOW WILL RAPIDLY STRENGTHEN AND LIFT NORTHEAST THIS
MORNING...LIKELY MOVING ONSHORE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COAST WITH A STRENGTH AROUND 983 MB THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY
WINDS STARTING THIS MORNING AND CONTINUING INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE
FCST MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING A BIT WEAKER WITH THE SYSTEM THIS
MORNING. WILL MAINTAIN A STORM WARNING...BUT THINK WE WILL MAINLY
SEE HIGH END GALES...WITH A FEW GUSTS REACHING INTO THE 50 TO 55
KT RANGE. THE STRONGEST WINDS MAY END UP BEING WITH 10 NM OF THE
COAST...WHERE SOME COASTAL JET ENHANCEMENT MAY OCCUR. WINDS
SUBSIDE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING AFTER THE
LOW PUSHES ONSHORE. A ZONAL WESTERLY FLOW PATTERN WILL THEN
PERSIST FOR TONIGHT AND MOST OF MON...WITH SOLID SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY WINDS EXPECTED. WINDS DROP BELOW 20 KT MON NIGHT INTO TUE
AS HIGHER PRESSURE MOVES OVER THE WATERS. AFTER ANOTHER WEAK
SYSTEM TUE NIGHT INTO WED...EXPECT A PERIOD OF RATHER BENIGN
CONDITIONS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AS AN OFFSHORE FLOW
PATTERN DEVELOPS.
SEAS ARE INCREASING THIS MORNING...AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 20 FT
BY AROUND DAYBREAK. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE INTO THE MID 20S
LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON IN RESPONSE TO THE
SIGNIFICANT WIND WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCOMING LOW PRES
SYSTEM. IF THE FORECASTED SEAS INTO THE MID 20S DEVELOP AS
EXPECTED...UNUSUALLY HIGH SURF CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY EXIST FOR
A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SNEAKER
WAVES AND MINOR BEACH EROSION WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN DURING THIS
TIME. SEAS WILL BEGIN TO SUBSIDE TONIGHT...AND ARE EXPECTED TO
DROP BACK BELOW 20 FT BY AROUND MIDNIGHT. SEAS THEN GRADUALLY
DECREASE NEXT WEEK...LIKELY DROPPING BELOW 10 FT BY MIDWEEK.
HIGH TIDE IS FORECAST TO REACH 11.5 FT AT TOKE POINT WASHINGTON
AROUND 5 AM THIS MORNING. IN THE PAST...THIS IS TYPICALLY HIGH
ENOUGH PRODUCE SOME MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW FLOODING AROUND WILLAPA
BAY INCLUDING PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 101. THERE IS A CHANCE WE WILL
NEED ANOTHER COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FOR TIDAL OVERFLOW DURING HIGH
TIDE EARLY MONDAY MORNING AS WELL. PYLE
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS AM FOR THE CASCADES OF
NORTH OREGON AND LANE COUNTY.
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AM
FOR THE CASCADES OF NORTH OREGON AND LANE COUNTY.
WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM FOR THE
COASTAL AREAS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL OREGON.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM FOR THE
COAST RANGES OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL OREGON.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM FOR
THE COASTAL AREAS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL OREGON.
WA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS AM FOR S WASHINGTON CASCADES.
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MON AM
FOR THE SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST AND WILLAPA HILLS.
WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR
GREATER VANCOUVER AREA-I-5 CORRIDOR IN COWLITZ COUNTY.
COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM PDT THIS MORNING FOR SOUTH
WASHINGTON COAST.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST.
PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 5 AM PDT EARLY THIS MORNING
FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR
OUT 60 NM.
STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 5 AM PDT EARLY
THIS MORNING FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO
CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM.
STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CASCADE HEAD OR TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR UNTIL 5 PM PDT
MONDAY.
&&
&&
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.4 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several weather measuring stations along the coast recorded sustained winds between 41 and 56 mph. A peak gust of 67 mph was measured at Gleneden Beach.
Several weather measuring stations along the coast reported sustained winds between 43 and 47 mph with peak gusts between 55 and 59 mph.
The BPA Tower at Mount Hebo measured a peak gust of 63 mph and the Tidewater RAWS measured a peak gust of 59 mph.
The Rockhouse RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
Strong winds downed several trees in the Portland metro area. Some of these trees fell onto power lines and resulted in power outages, and others fell onto roadways and obstructed traffic. One tree fell onto a home in Portland with minor damage to the roof.
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, March 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: 625589, 625588, 625676, 625591, 625595.