High pressure east of the Cascades with a low pressure system approaching from the west created strong easterly winds through the Columbia River Gorge.
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.
High pressure east of the Cascades with a low pressure system approaching from the west created strong easterly winds through the Columbia River Gorge.
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 Jan 2, 8:51 PM PST, 3 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland OR
851 PM PST Tue Jan 2 2018
.SYNOPSIS...Cool, dry weather and east winds near the Gorge will give
way to wetter pattern late in the work week with a chance of freezing
rain in the Columbia River Gorge.
&&
.SHORT TERM...Tonight through Friday...No changes to the forecast
this evening. Radar shows virga, and there's a small chance light
precipitation will reach the ground for a trace here and there mainly
in the Washington coast and Cascades portions of the local forecast
area. Otherwise, offshore flow remains with windy conditions in the
Columbia River Gorge and adjacent areas to the west. Still expect
some fog away from the gorge, particularly in the southern Willamette
Valley. The Lower Columbia area has a little bit of offshore wind
currently, keeping temperatures up and dewpoints down, but if wind
calms, they'll likely see some fog tonight again as well. The
previous short term discussion is below. Bowen
Surface analysis continues to reveal a strong offshore pressure
gradient with surface high pressure centered over the Rocky
Mountains. The KTTD-KDLS pressure has thus far peaked around 11mb.
Models indicate 850mb temperatures will cool slightly over the next
12-24 hours, which may allow the cross Cascade pressure gradient to
relax slightly as the inversion weakens, but overall not expecting a
big change in wind speeds across the western Columbia River Gorge and
east PDX metro for the next 24-48 hours.
Water vapor satellite imagery shows a high amplitude shortwave ridge
over the west coast of the US with a cutoff low pressure spinning
well off the southern California coast this afternoon. A series of
low pressure systems moving eastward across the north Pacific into
the Gulf of Alaska are beginning to push the ridge axis eastward.
This should help allow moisture associated with the cutoff low
pressure currently off California to work its way northward and into
the region. This will result in clouds and rain chances increasing
across the area over the next 48 to 72 hours.
The first notable shortwave trough passing from southwest to
northeast across the area should arrive Wednesday night and Thursday
morning. It appears increasingly likely that some light rain (<.10")
will fall across western Oregon and Washington during this timeframe.
This shouldn't be a big deal except across the Columbia
River Gorge where cold air is deeper and surface wet bulb
temperatures will be close to freezing. With temperatures aloft
likely to be above freezing, some light freezing rain appears
increasingly likely across the Columbia River Gorge and upper Hood
River valley. Offshore pressure gradients should weaken enough that
the cold air east of the Cascades should slowly modify, but
nonetheless, a second round of steadier precipitation could bring
additional issues Friday. /Neuman
.LONG TERM...No Changes. Previous discussion follows...Friday night
through Tuesday. The offshore upper level trough will move inland
across the Pacific Northwest late Friday and Saturday. While there is
decent agreement among the models with respect to the broad pattern,
the run-to-run consistency in the guidance has left a bit to be
desired, and as a result, confidence in the details remains lower
than average through this time period. Nonetheless, a cooler air mass
coupled with a decent influx of moisture will bring mountain snow
(down to around the Cascade pass elevations) and lowland rain across
the region for the start of the weekend. Cannot rule out some
lingering freezing rain threat in the Hood River Valley through late
Friday night, so have maintained mention of this in the forecast.
Expect more precipitation at times from the end of the weekend into
the start of next week, with some breaks in between systems, with the
timing of these subject to the evolution of the pattern. The next
disturbance, suggested to be a bit more organized, may approach at
some point next week, but have utilized ensemble means as the
primarily guidance for the forecast for this time period given the
rather large spreads among the available model data. Cullen
&&
.AVIATION...KEUG will likely be the only site which sees
deteriorating conditions again tonight. As temperature is already
near the dew point, expect fog to develop over the next couple
hours, reducing cigs and vis to LIFR for the rest of tonight into
Wednesday morning. Expect LIFR conditions to continue until
around 18-20Z, when north winds will start to mix out the fog.
Elsewhere, expect VFR conditions to continue through the next 24
hours as we remain under dry offshore flow. Removed mention of
fog at KUAO and KHIO as we will just continue to be too dry even
if east winds do become calm at those locations tonight.
PDX AND APPROACHES...VFR the next 24 hours. Gusty east winds
around 10 to 15 kt continue through this evening. Look for east
winds to subside a bit tonight to around 10 kt. Gusty east winds
to 15 to 20 kt return Wednesday afternoon. -McCoy
&&
.MARINE...No changes. Previous discussion follows...High pres
will reside over the interior Pac NW through the week. Light
offshore flow will continue over the waters through Wed. A more
active pattern will develop Thu and Fri. A low pres system
lifting up from the SW over the offshore waters will bring
increasing SE winds Thu night. Stronger southerly winds are
modeled to develop Fri morning, with the latest guidance
continuing to suggest a period of gale to 40 kt likely Fri. The
active pattern may continue into weekend with another round of
gusty southerly winds possible Sun.
Seas continue to hover around 6 ft this afternoon. A building
westerly swell will push seas to around 10 ft later tonight and
Wed do decided to issue a SCA for hazardous seas. Seas will
subside a bit later Wed and Thu, but the stronger frontal system
Thu night and Fri should push seas back into the teens. /64/Pyle
&&
.PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...None.
WA...None.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory for hazardous seas from 3 AM to 3 PM PST
Wednesday for Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence
OR from 10 to 60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory for Rough Columbia River Bar from 3 AM to
8 AM PST Wednesday.
Small Craft Advisory for Rough Columbia River Bar from 3 PM to
8 PM PST Wednesday.
&&
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This discussion is for Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington
from the Cascade crest to 60 nautical miles offshore. This area is
commonly referred to as the CWA, or forecast area.1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts up to 80 mph were recorded at a weather station at Corbett High School.
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, January 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: 735800.