An incoming front brought high winds to some locations in southwest and south central Oregon.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 locations in 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 Mar 9, 5:33 AM PST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
533 AM PST WED MAR 9 2016
DISCUSSION...THERE WILL BE VERY STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS THIS
AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY MORNING. PEAK GUSTS OF 50 TO 80 MPH ARE
EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WITH STRONGEST WINDS IN THE
TYPICAL LOCATIONS...AT THE COAST...OVER THE MOUNTAINS...IN THE
SHASTA VALLEY AND ACROSS THE EAST SIDE INCLUDING THE SUMMER LAKE
AREA IN PARTICULAR. A SURFACE LOW IS CENTERED NEAR 41N 136W AND
WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN INTO TONIGHT AS IT TRACKS NORTHEAST TOWARD THE
NORTHWESTERN END OF VANCOUVER ISLAND. THIS WILL BE A POWERFUL
STORM WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR POWER OUTAGES AND DIFFICULT TRAVEL
FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. THE TIMING OF THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT
WILL BRING PEAK WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 10 PM THIS EVENING AND 4 AM
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE
COAST WHILE THE HIGH WIND WATCHES FOR THE SHASTA
VALLEY...MOUNTAINS AND EAST SIDE HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO WARNING
STATUS. THERE IS ALSO A WIND ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF
THE AREA. THIS FRONT WILL ALSO BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION WITH THE HIGHEST QPF AMOUNTS EXPECTED IN CURRY AND
SISKIYOU COUNTIES.
FIRST...A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH-NORTHEAST ACROSS
OUR AREA THIS MORNING WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN. ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS WILL FOLLOW THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING BEFORE THE COLD FRONT TRACKS INLAND LATE THIS EVENING
INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THE EXCEPTION TO AFTERNOON AND EVENING
SHOWERS IS THAT DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL PREVENT PRECIPITATION IN THE
ROGUE AND SHASTA VALLEYS AND ALSO LIMIT ACTIVITY IN THE UMPQUA
VALLEY. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL RISE TO AROUND 8000 FEET TODAY THEN
DECREASE TO AROUND 5500 FEET OVERNIGHT.
THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN ACTIVE DURING THE NEXT WEEK THOUGH THE
FOLLOWING STORMS DO NOT LOOK TO BE AS STRONG AS THE STORM TONIGHT.
THE COLD FRONT WILL EXIT INTO EASTERN OREGON ON THURSDAY WITH A
TRAILING SURFACE TROUGH TO BRING A HIGH PROBABILITY OF LIGHT
PRECIPITATION WITH A SNOW LEVEL REMAINING AROUND 5000 TO 5500
FEET.
A BRIEF BREAK IS EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT THEN THE NEXT FRONT ON
FRIDAY WILL ONCE AGAIN PRODUCE THE HIGHEST QPF AT THE SOUTHERN
OREGON COAST INTO SISKIYOU COUNTY WITH A FOCUS ON
CALIFORNIA...ESPECIALLY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
ANOTHER BRIEF BREAK FRIDAY EVENING WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A STRONGER
FRONT ON SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION AND ANOTHER EPISODE OF STRONG GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS.
COLDER BUT WEAKER DISTURBANCES IN A WESTERLY FLOW ARE EXPECTED
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH THE SNOW LEVEL GENERALLY AROUND 3000
TO 3500 FEET. THERE IS GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT ON RIDGING LATE
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR A FULL DAY OF DRY WEATHER.
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 09/12Z TAF CYCLE...A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT
NORTH OF THE AREA LATE THIS MORNING WITH A MIX OF MVFR/VFR AND
PERIODS OF RAIN UNTIL THEN. PERIODS OF SNOW OR SNOW MIXED WITH RAIN
AT KLAMATH FALLS COULD LOWER CIGS TO IFR AT TIMES. TERRAIN WILL
LIKELY BE OBSCURED. BY THIS AFTERNOON MOST AREAS SHOULD SEE VFR
CONDITIONS. A STORM WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN OFFSHORE RESULTING IN STRONG
WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ONSHORE
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 5 AM PST WED 09 MAR 2016...A STORM WILL UNDERGO
INTENSE CYCLOGENESIS AND RAPIDLY DEEPEN OFFSHORE...REACHING 965 MB
BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING OFF THE WASHINGTON COAST. A STRONG COLD
FRONT ALONG WITH A SHARP DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE ACROSS THE WATERS
WILL BRING STORM FORCE WINDS AND VERY DANGEROUS SEAS LATER TODAY
INTO TONIGHT. MARINERS ARE URGED TO JUST REMAIN IN PORT DURING THIS
PERIOD OF STORMY WEATHER. WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH
LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY MORNING, BUT A NEW SERIES OF STRONG STORMS
ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ029>031.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ021-022.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ023>025.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST
THURSDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ027-028.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY FOR
ORZ026.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY
FOR CAZ084-085.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST THURSDAY
FOR CAZ081.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 AM PST THURSDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
DW/RESThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Flynn Prairie RAWS recorded wind gusts exceeding 57 mph almost continuously during this interval. The peak gust was 77 mph recorded at 09/1913 PST.
The Squaw Peak RAWS recorded wind gusts exceeding 75 mph many times during this interval. The peak gust was 88 mph recorded at 09/1339 PST.
The Seven Mile Creek RAWS recorded a gust to 60 mph at 09/1813 PST. The Long Prairie RAWS recorded wind gusts exceeding 57 mph almost continuously between 09/1614 PST and 09/2113 PST. The peak gust was 65 mph recorded at 09/1713 PST. The Port Orford NOS/NWLON recorded several gusts exceeding 57 mph between 09/1807 PST and 09/2254 PST. The peak gust was 61 mph recorded at 09/2218 PST.
The Coffee Pot Flat RAWS recorded wind gusts exceeding 58 mph continuously between 09/2045 PST and 10/0144 PST. The peak gust was 71 mph at 10/0044 PST. The Summer Lake RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 58 mph between 09/1939 PST and 10/0138 PST. The peak gust was 68 mph at 10/0138 PST. The Summit RAWS recorded a wind gust to 58 mph at 09/1803 PST, and gusts to 59 mph at 09/2003 PST and 09/2203 PST.
The Calimus RAWS recorded a wind gust of 63 mph at 10/0100 PST and a gust to 61 mph at 10/0200 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, 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: 615424, 615426, 615421, 615441, 615431.