A low level jet ahead of an occluded front produced several hours of strong winds to the South Washington coast.
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 low level jet ahead of an occluded front produced several hours of strong winds to the South Washington coast.
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 Feb 5, 9:51 AM PST, 3 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
951 AM PST FRI FEB 5 2016
.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PACIFIC OCCLUDED FRONT OFF THE COAST WILL SPREAD
RAIN ONSHORE INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON THIS
AFTERNOON...MOVE ONTO THE COAST AROUND 4 PM...AND THROUGH INLAND
AREAS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON THIS EVENING.
THIS FRONT WILL PRODUCE VERY WINDY CONDITIONS AT THE COAST THIS
AFTERNOON AND BREEZY CONDITIONS INLAND THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AN
UPPER RIDGE WILL BEGIN BUILDING SATURDAY FOR DRYING... WHICH COULD
LAST INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH EAST WINDS NEAR THE GORGE
AND POSSIBLY FOG AWAY FROM THE GORGE.
&&
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE WELL ADVERTISED STRONG
PACIFIC OCCLUDED FRONT WAS OFF THE COAST THIS MORNING...WITH A WIND
SHIFT AT BUOY 5 BETWEEN 6 AND 7 AM THIS MORNING...AND WILL SPREAD
RAIN ONTO THE COAST MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND INLAND IN THE LATE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE LOW LEVEL JET AHEAD OF THE FRONT STILL
SUPPORTS STRONG GALES AND POSSIBLY A FEW STORM FORCE GUSTS OVER THE
COASTAL WATERS...WITH HIGH WINDS ALONG THE COAST ESPECIALLY AT THE
BEACHES AND HEADLANDS AND MARGINALLY IN THE COASTAL COMMUNITIES.
850 MB WINDS STILL LOOK TO BE 65 TO 75 KT AS THE FRONT MOVES ONSHORE
ALONG THE COAST AROUND 4 OR 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON...AND THIS SUPPORTS
GUSTS TO AROUND 70 MPH AT THE BEACHES AND HEADLANDS. WILL STAY BELOW
HIGH WIND IN THE COAST RANGE...BUT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS AND TOWERS
IN THE COAST RANGE SUCH AS MARYS PEAK OR MT HEBO MIGHT RECORD A FEW
GUSTS ABOVE 60 MPH. WINDS IN THE INLAND VALLEYS WILL SWITCH FROM EAST
OR SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WITH GUSTS 25 TO 35 MPH.
SNOW LEVELS WILL INITIALLY BE WAY ABOVE THE PASSES TODAY...THEN
RATHER DRAMATICALLY FALL DOWN BELOW THE PASSES AS THE FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THIS EVENING. AMOUNTS LOOK BELOW SNOW ADVISORY CRITERIA...
BUT A FEW SPOTS FROM MOUNT HOOD NORTH COULD SEE 3 TO 6 INCHES
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT.
THE WIND SHIFT WITH THE FRONT IS NOT ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE
FRONT...SO IT WILL LIKELY RAIN FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER THE WIND
SWITCH BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO SHOWERS. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BEGIN
MOVING IN THE LATTER PART OF TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY FOR
DECREASING SHOWERS AND IMPROVING WEATHER.
CLOUDS COVER SHOULD TO BEGIN TO BREAK UP LATER SATURDAY AND
ESPECIALLY SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO PLENTY OF FOG AND
LOW STRATUS FORMING SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING DUE TO WET
GROUND AND STABILIZING CONDITIONS...WHICH MAY TAKE A WHILE TO BREAK
UP SUNDAY AFTERNOON. OFFSHORE FLOW INCREASES ON SUNDAY... ESPECIALLY
THROUGH THE GORGE...WHICH SHOULD AID THE CLEARING SUNDAY IN AREAS
AROUND THE COLUMBIA RIVER AND ALONG THE COAST. CLOUDS MAY STILL
LINGER OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND THE
I-5 CORRIDOR IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON...SINCE THIS LOOKS LIKE A GAP
FLOW EVENT WITH LITTLE OR NO SUPPORT AT 850 MB OR 700 MB. THE
PORTLAND/VANCOUVER AREAS WILL BE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF THE EAST
WINDS. TOLLESON
&&
.LONG TERM...NO CHANGES. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS LOOKS TO
CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
PERSISTS OVER THE PAC NW. EXPECT TEMPS TO CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 50S
TUESDAY AND NEAR 60 WEDNESDAY. STRONG HIGH PRESSURE AND LIGHT WINDS
SHOULD ALLOW PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT LATE SUNDAY THROUGH
EARLY WEDNESDAY OVER MUCH OF THE INTERIOR VALLEY. THE FOG WILL LIKELY
BURN OFF LATE IN THE MORNING EACH DAY...BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF
IT PERSISTS INTO THE AFTERNOON. WILL ALSO SEE STRONG EAST WINDS NEAR
THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL LIKELY LIMIT SOME FOG DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH
VALLEY. OUR NEXT SHOT OF RAIN ARRIVES LATE WEDNESDAY AS A STRETCHING
FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. /64
&&
.AVIATION...ASIDE FROM PATCHY LIFR CONDITIONS AT KHIO AND KMMV...
EXPECT THE CURRENT VFR CONDITIONS FOUND AT MOST TAF SITES IN
NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON TO DETERIORATE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT SPREADS STEADIER
RAIN INTO THE REGION. CIGS SHOULD GENERALLY LOWER INTO MVFR FOR A
SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD BEFORE RAIN TURNS MORE SHOWERY AND CONDITIONS
TURN BACK TO PREDOMINANTLY VFR WITH ONLY OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS
UNDER TO NEAR HEAVIER SHOWERS BETWEEN 06Z AND 18Z SATURDAY.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH 02Z
THIS EVENING. RAIN ACCOMPANYING A COLD FRONT IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP
AROUND 00Z SATURDAY...WITH CIGS LIKELY DROPPING TO MVFR AROUND 02Z
SATURDAY. POST FRONTAL SHOWERS SHOULD BRING A MIX OF VFR AND MVFR
CONDITIONS...ALBEIT MAINLY VFR...BETWEEN 06Z AND 18Z SATURDAY.
/NEUMAN
&&
.MARINE...A COLD FRONT MOVING E ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY WILL
BRING INCREASING WINDS...LIKELY REACHING GALE FORCE WITH WIDESPREAD
GUSTS OF 45 KT FOR SEVERAL HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. COASTAL JET
DEVELOPMENT MAY TEMPORARILY ENHANCE WINDS WITHIN 20 NM OF THE COAST
AND MAY PRODUCE A PERIOD OF 50 KT GUSTS...BUT CONFIDENCE IS STILL
RELATIVELY LOW. REGARDLESS...EXPECT WINDS TO DROP OFF BEHIND THE
FRONT WITH GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 KT FOR A COUPLE HOURS BEFORE SUBSIDING.
THE FRONT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL REACH THE COAST BETWEEN 4 PM AND 6 PM
TODAY. A LARGER WESTERLY SWELL WILL REACH THE WATERS AROUND THIS SAME
TIME AND KEEP SEAS IN THE HIGH TEENS...AND PERHAPS BRIEFLY EXCEEDING
20 FT FOR A SHORT PERIOD EARLY THIS EVENING. EXPECT SEAS TO DROP
SOLIDLY INTO THE MID TEENS BY MIDNIGHT AND AROUND 10 FT SATURDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTING OVER THE REGION FOR THIS WEEKEND WILL LIKELY
KEEP SEAS AND WINDS BELOW SMALL CRAFT CRITERIA FOR AT LEAST SUNDAY
AND MONDAY. IT THEN APPEARS PACIFIC FRONTAL STORM SYSTEMS WILL BEGIN
TO IMPACT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AGAIN TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK
WITH WINDS AND SEAS LIKELY INCREASING. /NEUMAN
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR CENTRAL
OREGON COAST-NORTH OREGON COAST.
WA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR SOUTH
WASHINGTON COAST.
PZ...GALE WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR UNTIL
3 PM PST SATURDAY.
&&
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.
A weather station at Cape Disappointment measured sustained winds of 48 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. Another station on Megler Bridge measured sustained winds of 48 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Washington in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Washington, 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: 620936.