A cold front crossing the region caused wind speeds to spike briefly as it passed through at a handful of locations in the Blue Mountain Foothills.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 PDT wrote it up.
A cold front crossing the region caused wind speeds to spike briefly as it passed through at a handful of locations in the Blue Mountain Foothills.
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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 20, 11:15 AM PST, 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...Corrected National Weather Service Pendleton OR 1115 AM PST Mon Feb 20 2017 Corrected AVIATION Discussion .UPDATE...Significant dry slot had worked its way into the region creating windy conditions across portions of the area that has prompted a Wind Advisory. In addition pops were substantially decreased and afternoon temps increased along with winds. && .AVIATION...18Z TAFS...VFR through this evening and into overnight. Another warm front will move into central Oregon after 09Z tonight with a snow/rain mix at KRDM and KBDN and rain spreading northward to remaining TAF sites overnight. MVFR conditions will begin at KRDM and KBDN with the onset of the rain/snow mix. Clearing skies due to sinking air immediately east of the Cascades this morning has allowed mixing of stronger winds aloft down to the surface at KRDM, KBDN, KS33, KS39 and KGCD. Aircraft at these airports will experience Severe Turbulence during takeoffs and landings due sustained southerly winds of 30 kts with gusts of 40-45 kts. KPDT and KALW will have southwest winds of 15 to 25 kts with gusts to 30- 35 kts. Winds will diminish after 03Z. Winds at KYKM and KDLS will remain below 15 kts for the next 24 hours. Polan .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /issued 825 AM PST Mon Feb 20 2017/ UPDATE...A low pressure system over the ne pac will continue to spin disturbances into the pac nw today with clouds and rain expected. The latest radar shows a batch of rain approaching our wa/or cascades with drier conditions across portions of the region except for the eastern zones. A wedge of drier air may allow for some sunshine that could make the atmosphere unstable and an isold tsra is possible over our far eastern zones around and near wallowa area this afternoon. Some changes were performed on the pops this morning to lower them a bit while they were increased some this afternoon over our extreme northern sections. In addition some of the showers may produce heavy rainfall and along with the warmer temps will continue to produce quick snow melt that could fill stream and rivers will rapidly moving water and a flood watch remains in effect for some locations. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 401 AM PST Mon Feb 20 2017/ SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday...An active weather pattern will persist through at least mid week with one Pacific storm after another. One moving through now is bring moderate rain to the Blue Mountains and Foothills with rain also covering most other areas of the CWA. Snow levels are fairly high so snow does not look to be a problem. Once this system moves off to the east later this morning expect showers this afternoon. There may even be a stray lightning strike over the extreme northeast corner of the CWA but not enough to include in the forecast. Winds will also increase this afternoon and it will become breezy to windy...mostly on the ridge tops that are exposed to the free air winds. Another weather system will then move into the region on Tuesday...with a brief break and then a third system on Wednesday. Tuesday will be stronger and wetter though. Snow levels will lower by Wednesday but the amount of precipitation will not be that much on Wednesday and so snow amounts in the mountain will be too light for any winter weather highlights. There are some hydrology concerns with the rain and melting snow over the next couple of days...mainly in the Yakima and Kittitas Valleys and the Simcoe Highlands due to rain and snow melt. There is a flood watch in effect for these areas which is discussed in more detail below. Temperatures will be slightly above normal today and then will lower to near or slightly below normal by Wednesday. It will become breezy again on Tuesday. 88 LONG TERM...Wednesday Night through Monday...Unsettled weather is expected through the long term period as a trough will be over the western CONUS and Canada. Wednesday night and Thursday a wave will be moving south through the trough. This will give the mountains a chance of mainly snow as snow levels will start out at 1500 feet and drop to the surface by Thursday afternoon. Snow levels will remain below 1500 feet through Monday. The lower elevations won't see much precipitation though there should be a slight chance of rain and snow showers on Thursday. Precipitation amounts will be light and even in the mountains snow amounts will be an inch or less. After a lull Thursday night, another wave will graze the coast Friday and Friday night. This will give the mountains another chance of snow while in the lower elevations there will be a slight chance of snow mixed with rain during the daytime. The Columbia Basin will generally remain dry. The wave will slide south into California on Saturday while another wave starts to move south out of the Gulf of Alaska. Some weak ridging will keep much of the area dry Saturday and Saturday night though the northerly flow will generate a slight chance of light snow showers in the mountains. That next wave will arrive either Sunday or Sunday night (models have timing differences) and affect the region through Monday. Due to the uncertainty, have a chance of snow showers in the mountains and a slight chance of snow showers mixed with daytime rain showers in the lower elevations. Temperatures will be in the 30s to around 40 during the day and generally in the mid teens to mid 20s at night. Perry HYDROLOGY...Previous Discussion...Significant rain will fall Monday and Tuesday with these warm fronts. Rising snow levels from the warm air aloft will add snowmelt to the runoff. Rainfall up to three quarters of an inch in the Simcoe Highlands and up to one half an inch in the Yakima and Kittitas Valleys may create localized flooding. A flood watch has been issued for these areas Monday through Tuesday afternoon. Lesser amounts of rain will fall in the Lower Columbia Basin and Foothills of the Blue Mountains. A Hydrological Outlook - product PDXESFPDT - has been issued for these areas. 76 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 58 34 42 31 / 50 60 50 20 ALW 61 36 42 32 / 60 50 70 30 PSC 56 33 42 30 / 60 40 70 10 YKM 46 28 38 26 / 80 40 60 10 HRI 59 32 42 29 / 50 50 50 10 ELN 41 27 35 25 / 100 30 60 10 RDM 56 29 40 26 / 50 50 30 20 LGD 52 36 40 29 / 90 60 50 30 GCD 58 34 42 29 / 60 50 50 40 DLS 46 31 38 32 / 90 50 40 20 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...Wind Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for ORZ505-506-511. WA...Flood Watch through Tuesday afternoon for WAZ026-027-521. && 97/99/88/83
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds peaked to 61 mph with passage of a cold front at Lexington Airport in Morrow county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 2017
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: 682813.