A prolonged period of rain over several days led to minor flooding on the Grays River.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 PQR wrote it up.
A prolonged period of rain over several days led to minor flooding on the Grays River.
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 Oct 17, 1:30 AM PST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland Oregon
230 AM PDT Mon Oct 17 2016
.SYNOPSIS...Westerly flow aloft will keep a seasonably cool
showery weather pattern through mid week. A weak ridge of high
presaloft moving across during the latter half of the week may bring
a brief respite from the showers late in the week or over the
weekend.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(Sunday Night through Wednesday)...A series of
shortwaves is seen in water vapor pictures this morning extending
west off the Oregon coast. First one is seen approaching the coast
this morning, with the more active area of showers moving onshore
early this morning. Another shortwave was seen crossing 140w,
expected to reach the region tonight, with another near 150w, likely
to reach the coast Tue. Satellite showed showers extending well off
to the west, but probably not as active looking overall as in the
past couple of days. Models suggest a generally marginally unstable
airmass continuing into Tue supporting a continuation of showers.
Will also keep a slight chance for thunderstorms into Tue morning
along the coast and over the coastal waters, and extend the slight
chance inland this afternoon as model soudnings continue to indicate
deeper instability developing with diurnal heating over the interior
today. Tue afternoon into Tue night models agree on weak ridging
aloft tending to stabilize the atmosphere as well as weakening the
moist onshore flow, so expect to see showers tapering off then. With
the flat ridge Wed, it is difficult to rule out a chance for some
rain or showers sneaking back in as models to varying degrees
suggest some weak isentropic lift reaching the coast, while ec
suggests some showers over the Oregon Cascades.
.LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Sunday). No changes. Previous
discussion follows. A frontal boundary will move across the area
late Wednesday into Friday bringing more showers, but weaken as it
moves through. Models diverge a bit on the weekend, but Saturday
might be fairly dry with rain returning Sunday. tw
&&
.AVIATION...Weak low pres will slowly push inland early this
morning. This will maintain showers and even isolated
thunderstorms west of the Cascades. Generally VFR conditions
expected, but will see brief MVFR CIGS and/or VIS with the heavier
showers.
KPDX AND APPROACHES...Generally VFR with showers. Expect brief
MVFR CIGS and/or VIS with any heavier showers. Bowen
&&
.MARINE...Low pres over the local waters will shift inland early
this morning. Behind the low, winds will finally relax below 20
kt. Seas generally holding at 12 to 14 ft tonight, but will slowly
subside today, and hover around 10 ft Tue, then maybe dropping
under 10 ft Tue night.
After a brief break Tue, another frontal system will arrive Wed
and Thu. First part will be a warm front that will lift across the
region on Wed, with gusty south to southeast winds generally 25 to
30 kt. Cold front will arrive on Thu, then winds ease again. Seas
look like they will rise to just above 10 ft. Bowen
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None.
WA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory for winds until 11 AM PDT this morning for
Coastal Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out
60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory for hazardous seas until 5 AM PDT
Wednesday for Coastal Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to
Florence OR out 60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory for Rough Columbia River Bar until 5 PM
PDT this afternoon.
&&
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.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Grays River crested at 12.08 feet around 10 am, which is 0.08 feet above flood stage. No damage was reported.
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, October 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: 662277.