A Pacific storm system moved across the region causing strong winds over a good portion of the area from late morning into the evening.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 Pacific storm system moved across the region causing strong winds over a good portion of the area from late morning into 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 Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 9:43 AM PST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
943 AM PST Sat Feb 17 2018
.SHORT TERM...Today and tonight...An upper level trough is
approaching the region with a warm front across Washington and
northeast Oregon this morning. This will produce low elevation rain
and snow above. The trough will push a fast moving cold front
through the area late this afternoon and evening which will be
accompanied by a strong upper level jet. These winds are expected to
mix down to the surface producing some very strong winds to portions
of the forecast area up to 10pm and then winds will gradually
decrease overnight. Some of the wind advisories have been upgraded
to high wind warnings. The Blue mountains have been placed under a
high wind warning in addition to the winter storm warning. This
could result in some blizzard like conditions in the Blue Mountains
mainly above 4500 feet this afternoon and evening. Forecast has been
updated to reflect these changes.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 402 AM PST Sat Feb 17 2018/
SHORT TERM...Today through Monday. Upper level trough moving
across the Pacific northwest today. This will bring rain and
mountain snow with significant accumulations for the Cascades and
Blues. Strong winds aloft associated with this system. Will
continue with wind advisories for a good portion of the forecast
area with highest winds expected during the afternoon and evening.
Potential for winds aloft to mix down at times which would result
in higher gusts to 50 mph. Precipitation and winds will diminish
overnight although steady snow will likely continue for the
Cascades and Blues with the westerly flow aloft. Another upper
level trough and cold front will then move south across the
region Sunday. This is a much colder system and expect snow for
all locations later Sunday into Sunday night. Northerly flow
Monday with continued cold advection and snow showers over the
mountains. High temperatures today will be in the 40s and 50s
falling into the 20s and 30s Sunday and teens to 20s Monday.
94
LONG TERM...Monday Night through Saturday...A deep upper trough
will be over the area Monday night and an open wave will be
departing to the east Monday night and Tuesday. This will shift the
trough axis into Idaho by Tuesday afternoon. A few lingering snow
showers will remain in eastern Wallowa county Monday evening but
otherwise the forecast will be dry through Tuesday night. The main
story will be cold air arriving on a northerly flow aloft. This will
keep the coldest weather of the winter with us for a few days.
Monday night will see temperatures of 5 to 15 in the lower
elevations and 5 below to 5 above zero in the mountains. Tuesday
will see temperatures in the upper 20s to mid 30s with mid teens to
mid 20s in the mountains. Tuesday night will see some modest warming
as the flow turns a little to the northwest with lows of 10 to 20
and in the mountains lows of zero to 10 above. Wednesday afternoon
through Thursday models show another wave moving into the area
though they differ greatly in the details. The GFS has a fairly weak
wave staying mostly to our north while the ECMWF has a much stronger
wave that it sends right through our area with another shot of cold
air. Took a middle ground for now and have a chance of snow in the
mountains and a slight chance of mainly snow in the lower
elevations as snow levels remain close to the surface. Moisture is
limited so it does not appear that snow will be more than an inch or
two even in the mountains. Thursday night through Saturday models
are completely disagreeing with the GFS maintaining a progressive
northwesterly flow with a series of embedded disturbances. The ECMWF
has a transitory ridge over the area Thursday night and Friday
before another deep and cold low arrives Friday night and Saturday.
Have kept a chance of snow in the mountains for Thursday night
through Saturday with a slight chance of snow in the lower elevation
with some rain mixed in in the Columbia Basin. Temperatures
Wednesday and Thursday will be in the mid 30s to lower 40s with
upper 20s and 30s in the mountains. Warming will continue Friday and
Saturday with highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s in the lower
elevations and in the mid 30s to lower 40s in the mountains. Perry
AVIATION...12Z TAFs...A strong system will move across the area
today bringing lower elevation rain and mountain rain and snow.
Tonight will see the lower elevation rain taper off at TAF sites
this evening but snow will continue in the mountains tonight. Cloud
cover at TAF sites will be mainly broken to overcast with low end
VFR/MVFR ceilings today. Tonight will see skies become scattered to
broken above 4000 feet AGL. Winds will be the big story today as
winds will increase rapidly this morning and by 21Z all Columbia
Basin TAF sites will reach 25 to 35 kts with gusts to 45 kts. KRDM
and KBDN will reach 20 to 30 kts with gusts to 40 kts. Winds aloft
at 850 MB (around 5000 feet) this afternoon will be 50 to 65 kts so
the potential for even stronger winds is there but believe that
those winds will not fully mix down to the surface. Winds will
gradually decrease after 04Z but will remain at 15 to 20 kts with
gusts to 30 kts through 12Z. Perry
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 54 36 35 15 / 90 20 60 60
ALW 53 36 36 17 / 90 20 70 60
PSC 56 37 37 19 / 80 10 60 30
YKM 54 31 36 17 / 50 10 60 30
HRI 58 37 38 18 / 80 10 60 40
ELN 47 28 31 14 / 70 20 60 30
RDM 52 28 35 12 / 20 10 50 60
LGD 43 32 34 12 / 100 80 60 60
GCD 47 31 33 11 / 40 40 60 50
DLS 55 38 40 20 / 40 20 60 60
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...High Wind Warning until 10 PM PST this evening for ORZ041-044-
502-503-507-508-510.
Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM PST Sunday for ORZ509.
Winter Storm Warning until 10 PM PST Sunday for ORZ502.
Wind Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for ORZ511.
WA...High Wind Warning until 10 PM PST this evening for WAZ024-
028>030-521.
Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM PST Sunday for WAZ520.
Winter Storm Warning until 10 PM PST Sunday for WAZ030.
Wind Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening for WAZ026-027.
&&
91/99/99The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Measured peak gust of 60 mph occurred 5 miles WSW of Shaniko in Wasco county.
Estimated peak gust of 90 mph near Ajax, 13 miles WSW of Mikkalo, in Gilliam county.
Measured peak gust of 68 mph along the Columbia River between Biggs and Rufus in Sherman county.
Measured peak gust of 66 mph 1 mile NNE of Sisters in Deschutes county. Also a trained spotter reported a 2 foot in diameter tree blown over by the wind gust. A second had it's top split.
Measured peak gust of 61 mph occurred 4 SSW of Fossil in Wheeler county.
Measured peak gust of 64 mph occurred at the Hermiston airport in Umatilla county. Also power outages occurred in the town of Umatilla to the northwest.
Measured sustained wind of 48 mph occurred at the Pendleton airport in Umatilla county. Peak wind gust was 55 mph.
Measured peak gust of 72 mph, 3 miles WSW of Kooskooskie in Umatilla county. Located at 3454 feet along the west slopes of the Blue Mountains.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, February 2018
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: 740184, 740186, 740188, 740195, 740191, 740187, 740189, 740190.