A strong low produced a burst of strong winds for the central Oregon coast in the evening.
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 produced a burst of strong winds for the central Oregon coast in the evening.
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 5, 2:14 PM PST, 6 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
214 PM PST SAT MAR 5 2016
.SYNOPSIS...A FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING AND PRODUCE A BRIEF BURST OF GUSTY WINDS LATE TONIGHT.
SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL TO BELOW THE CASCADE PASSES LATE TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE SHOWERS FOR SUNDAY. A
WEAKER FRONT WILL BRING ADDITIONAL RAIN AND CASCADE SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE MONDAY NIGHT FOR A
BRIEF BREAK IN WEATHER TUESDAY MORNING. MORE WET WEATHER IS ON TAP
FOR TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...THERE IS A COMPLEX WEATHER PATTERN OFFSHORE WITH WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING THREE DISTINCT BOUNDARIES STEMMING FROM WHAT
APPEARS TO BE A TRIPLE POINT LOW OFFSHORE THE OREGON/CALIFORNIA
BORDER. THE LOW IS LESS IDENTIFIABLE ON VISIBLE OR INFRARED IMAGERY.
LIGHT RAIN ALONG ONE OF THE BOUNDARIES BEGAN SPREADING INTO THE
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. RADAR
IMAGERY SHOWS A BATCH OF HEAVIER RAIN OVER SW OREGON QUICKLY MOVING
NORTHWARD. THIS MORE PERSISTENT RAIN WILL MOVE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH
ACROSS NW OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT. EXPECT 0.75 TO 1.50 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE COAST...COAST
RANGE...AND CASCADES THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...AND 0.40 TO 0.6
INCH FOR THE INTERIOR VALLEYS.
THE LOW WILL MOVE NORTHWARD OFFSHORE THE OREGON COAST THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING AND OFF OF THE WASHINGTON COAST TONIGHT...STAYING JUST
WEST OF 130W. THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN AS THE LOW
MOVES BY THE AREA...AND EXPECT A BRIEF BURST OF STRONG WINDS FOR THE
BEACHES AND HEADLANDS...AND SOME GUSTS TO AROUND 30 OR POSSIBLY 35
MPH FOR THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY.
THE FRONT WILL MOVE OUT OF THE AREA AROUND AROUND MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT...BUT SHOWERS WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. SNOW
LEVELS WILL LOWER BEHIND THE FRONT AND SHOULD FALL TO NEAR THE
CASCADE PASSES...3500 TO 4000 FEET BY SUNRISE SUNDAY.
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN UNSTABLE SUNDAY AS THE PARENT UPPER TROUGH
BECOMES NEGATIVELY-TILTED AND THE TROUGH AXIS MOVES OVER THE REGION.
THIS WILL FAVOR SHOWERS EVEN THOUGH THE AREA WILL BE BETWEEN SYSTEMS.
EXPECT AN ADDITIONAL 0.15 TO 0.4 INCH OF RAIN SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE CASCADES. THERE
MAY BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO SPROUT
OVER THE REGION.
THE NEXT SHORT WAVE WILL APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON
AND POSSIBLY FORM A 990MB SURFACE LOW OFFSHORE OF SOUTHERN OREGON
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THIS LOW IS WEAKER AND FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE
PREVIOUS FEW LOWS...AND DO NOT EXPECT AS MUCH WIND. THE FRONT WILL
ALSO BE WEAKER WITH LESS AVAILABLE MOISTURE. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN
AT OR JUST BELOW CASCADE PASSES. EXPECT AN ADDITIONAL 0.25 TO 0.60
INCH OF RAIN SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH 1 TO 3
INCHES OF NEW SNOW IN THE CASCADES.
AN UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER THE REGION MONDAY CONTINUING SHOWERS
AND A SLIGHT THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE LATE
MONDAY NIGHT FOR A BRIEF BREAK IN RAIN EARLY TUESDAY. TJ
.LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...
A RATHER STRONG AND MOISTURE LADEN SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. WEATHER MODELS INDICATE THIS IS AN
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SETUP WITH THE FRONT TAPPING INTO A MOISTURE PLUME
OF 1.1 T0 1.4 INCHES OF PRECIPITABLE WATER. INTEGRATIVE VAPOR
TRANSPORT SHOWS THE BEST CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL BE ACROSS SW
OREGON AND NO CAL...BUT NW OREGON AND SW WASHINGTON WILL STILL GET A
DECENT SOAKING. WILL NEED TO MONITOR RIVER FORECASTS CLOSELY AS WE
GET INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. TW
&&
.AVIATION... VFR ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON...BUT RAIN ALREADY OCCURRING ALONG THE COAST BETWEEN
KONP AND KBOK WITH AREAS OF MVFR. COASTAL FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL
LOWER INTO PREDOMINANT MVFR TO IFR EARLY EVENING. COLD FRONT
EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE COASTAL AREAS AROUND 04Z. IMPROVEMENT
TO AN MVFR TO VFR MIX AFTER 06Z. INLAND AREAS TO REMAIN MAINLY VFR
THROUGH 00Z THEN SHOW A MIX OF MVFR AND LOW-END VFR 00Z TO 12Z
SUN. SW-W WIND 30-40 KT AT 5000 FT MSL TONIGHT THROUGH SUN
MORNING WILL RESULT IN MOUNTAIN OBSCUREMENT AND MVFR OR WORSE
CONDITIONS FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN. EXPECT WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 KT
ALONG THE COASTAL HEADLANDS AND 25 TO 35 KT OVER THE INTERIOR
VALLEYS 02Z TO 10Z SUN. HAVE INCLUDED LLWS FOR KAST JUST BEFORE
FRONTAL PASSAGE WITH SE SURFACE WIND 10-15 KT AND S WIND 30-40 KT
AT FL020.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR THROUGH EARLY EVENING. RAIN RETURNS
AROUND 00Z SUN...BUT EAST SURFACE COMPONENT SHOULD MAINTAIN VFR
CONDITIONS. MVFR LIKELY AFTER 06Z SUN...BUT IMPROVING TO VFR BY
12Z. E TO SE SURFACE WIND SWITCHES TO S TO SW AROUND 06Z...WITH
GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. WEISHAAR
&&
.MARINE...NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM TAKING SHAPE INSIDE 130W WITH BUOY
002 REPORTING SURFACE PRES OF 981.6 MB AT 20Z. WIND HAS BECOME
MORE SE AHEAD OF THIS DEVELOPING SYSTEM. THE 14Z RUC AND 12Z NAM
NOT QUITE AS ROBUST WITH WIND SPEEDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT. 12Z NAM AND GFS SHOW 30-35 KT BOUNDARY LAYER WIND SPEEDS
06Z SUN. NAM ALSO INDICATED JUST 35 KT AT 975 MB. WILL MAINTAIN
SOLID GALES WITH PEAK GUSTS UP TO 45 KT. STRONGEST SUSTAINED WIND
LOOKS TO BE FROM 02Z TO 08Z SUN. MODELS SHOW ANOTHER SURFACE LOW
DEVELOPING OVER THE SRN OREGON WATERS SUN AFTERNOON. THE 12Z NAM
IS FURTHER N WITH THIS SECONDARY LOW...BRINGING IT INLAND NEAR
NEWPORT 06Z MON. GFS SHOWS THE ENERGY FURTHER S...BETWEEN NORTH
BEND AND BROOKINGS. SHOULD THE NAM VERIFY...MAY NEED TO GO WITH
GALES FOR PZZ255 SUN EVENING.
CONDITIONS SETTLE DOWN A BIT LATE SUN NIGHT THROUGH MON NIGHT. THE
NEXT SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE WATERS TUE. MODELS SEEMS TO FOCUS THE
MAIN ENERGY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND S OREGON WATERS. EAST WIND
COMPONENT TUE WILL KEEP THE STRONGEST WIND SPEEDS FURTHER
OFFSHORE AND INHIBIT THE POTENTIAL FOR COASTAL JET DEVELOPMENT.
HAVE INDICATED GALE FORCE WIND SPEEDS OVER THE OUTER WATERS TUE.
MODELS SHOW A COUPLE OF REINFORCING SURFACE LOWS TRAVELING ALONG
THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TUE NIGHT THROUGH WED EVENING WITH STORM
FORCE GUSTS POSSIBLE SOUTH OF CASCADE HEAD WED AND WED EVENING.
ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEKEND.
SEAS HAVE SETTLED TO 10 TO 12 FT EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WILL
RAMP UP AGAIN TONIGHT. COMBINED SEAS LIKELY TO GET CLOSE TO 20 FT
12Z TO 18Z SUN...WITH A RATHER LARGE WIND-WAVE COMPONENT. SEAS
HOLD IN THE MID TO UPPER TEENS SUN AFTERNOON THROUGH MON MORNING.
WAVE HEIGHTS GET CLOSE TO 2O FT AGAIN LATE TUE NIGHT AND
WED...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SRN WATERS. WEISHAAR
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
FOR CENTRAL OREGON COAST-NORTH OREGON COAST.
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
FOR SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST.
PZ...GALE WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO NOON PST SUNDAY FOR
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO FLORENCE OR OUT
60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR UNTIL 4 PM
PST SUNDAY.
&&
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.1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two stations along the central Oregon coast measured sustained winds between 34 and 43 mph with gusts between 57 and 63 mph.
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: 625570.