An incoming front brought high winds to a few locations along the southern Oregon coast and east of the Cascades.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 MFR wrote it up.
An incoming front brought high winds to a few locations along the southern Oregon coast and east of the Cascades.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 7, 3:59 PM PST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Medford OR
359 PM PST Wed Mar 7 2018
Updated AVIATION Section
.DISCUSSION...This afternoon through Saturday...A wrapped-up low
pressure system is spinning well offshore beyond 130W, moving to
the northeast. South to north pressure gradients are increasing
across the forecast area and will continue to do so as the low
approaches the Northern Washington coast through Thursday
afternoon. The main impacts from this system will be wind-related,
and in the near-term, we've maintained a Rogue Valley Wind
Advisory through this afternoon and a Shasta Valley Wind Advisory
has been extended through Thursday evening due to another round
of gusty winds expected tomorrow.
Further out in time, as the strongest winds begin to
impinge upon the coastline, we've issued a Wind Advisory for
portions of the West Side, mainly southwestern Douglas County and
some of Josephine County. Higher terrain and valleys that are
oriented southwest to northeast will be favored for strongest winds,
and these include Sexton Pass on I-5, Azalea and Glendale, and areas
near Canyonville. Gusts to 45 mph are expected in these areas
from early Thursday morning through Thursday afternoon. For other
areas west of the Cascades, it will be breezy too. At the coast,
it will become windy, especially at the headlands and in the
coastal higher terrain, but we don't expect winds strong enough to
warrant a High Wind Warning. Coastal wind gusts will generally be
around 50 mph early Thursday morning through Thursday afternoon.
Modeled pressure gradients between Arcata and North Bend peak at
7-8.5mb Thursday morning, and trajectory of the low is mainly
towards the north- northeast, and this typically doesn't result in
widespread High Winds. Additionally, we maintain a High Wind
Warning for mostly high- terrain areas east of the Cascades and a
Wind Advisory for many valley areas in Lake County.
The heaviest precipitation with this system will be focused on the
southern and western slopes of higher terrain, while many valleys
should get downsloped with generally light precipitation amounts.
Brief periods of heavier precipitation will impact the Curry County
coast and the Cascades Thursday night and early Friday morning.
Models continue to suggest Thursday night into Friday morning as the
timeframe for some snowfall over the Cascade passes, generally 5000
feet and higher. Showers should diminish Friday afternoon, and
Saturday should be mostly dry with weak impulses moving south to
north over the offshore waters.
Sunday, March 11th through Wednesday, March 14th...The beginning
of the extended forecast (Sunday and Monday), will feature an
upper ridge extending from the Great Basin into western Canada and
a large closed low centered well offshore (out near 140W). This
will result in a period of mainly dry, mild weather with
temperatures above normal. Models are showing 850 temps of 10-12C
these two days, which would translate to highs in the 60s to near
70 degrees for the valleys west of the Cascades. Upper 50s to low
60s are most likely over the east side and along the coast.
The trend in the models since last night has been to slow down the
offshore upper low and its associated frontal system as it edges
toward the coast Monday night, but they still show the front
progressing onshore Tuesday. Have massaged the forecast slightly to
account for this trend, but the details really haven't changed that
much. Expect a period of increasing south to southeast winds ahead
of the front during this time frame, which should impact some of the
west side valleys that align with that flow (Shasta/Rogue) and also
the east side. Then, a period of wet weather will follow as the
front moves onshore, then inland Tuesday. Snow levels as the front
pushes in should be 6000-7000 ft. But, with the upper level cold
pool moving onshore Tuesday night into Wednesday, snow levels
will drop to 3000-4000 feet.
Beyond that, the closed low/upper cold pool will fill as it moves
southward just offshore Thursday, then eventually inland into
California Friday. So, as of now, we're looking at another
colder, showery period late next week and the following weekend.
This aligns well with the Climate Prediction Center's week two
(8-14 day) forecast which shows better odds of below normal
temperatures and near to above average precipitation. -Spilde
&&
.AVIATION...08/00Z TAF CYCLE...Have included low-level wind shear
(LLWS) in the Medford TAF for a few hours this evening. Current
wind is NW ~10kt with 2000ft winds SE ~20kt. Winds should ease a bit
by 03z.
VFR will prevail through most of the TAF period, though areas of
MVFR ceilings/visibility are possible in heavier rain/showers,
especially at the coast and also in the coast ranges, where terrain
will be partially obscured.
LLWS is also possible at the coast this evening, before gusty south
winds develop overnight into Thursday.
Expect a period of gusty south to southwest winds for all TAF
sites Thursday as a frontal system moves onshore. -Spilde
&&
.MARINE...Updated 130 PM PST Wednesday 07 Mar 2018...A strong low
pressure system will approach the waters this evening, with south
winds increasing to gales over the waters late Wednesday evening and
persisting into Thursday morning. Models have increased winds across
the waters, and a few isolated storm force gusts will be possible
overnight. The gales will mainly be from 7 to 30 nm from shore north
of Gold Beach, but steep, hazardous seas will continue for the rest
of the area. For simplicity, have gone with the gale warning with
small craft advisory conditions less than a mile from shore.
Seas will remain steep and hazardous through Friday morning as we
transition from wind generated waves to a fresh southwest swell.
Conditions improve Friday and continue through the weekend. The next
system has been pushed back to arrive Monday night into Tuesday.
Models have also decreased the winds, but gales will still be
possible with this system, but confidence is pretty low since the
solution has changed is in the extended period. -Schaaf
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...High Wind Warning from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Thursday for ORZ030-031.
Wind Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 PM PST Thursday for
ORZ030-031.
Wind Advisory from 3 AM to 4 PM PST Thursday for ORZ023-024.
Wind Advisory until 6 PM PST this evening for ORZ026.
CA...High Wind Warning from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Thursday for CAZ085.
Wind Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 PM PST Thursday for
CAZ085.
Wind Advisory until 2 AM PST Thursday for CAZ081.
Pacific Coastal Waters...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM PST Thursday for PZZ350-356.
Small Craft Advisory for hazardous seas from 4 PM Thursday to 4
AM PST Friday for PZZ350-356-376.
Gale Warning until 4 PM PST Thursday for PZZ350-356-370-376.
Hazardous Seas Warning from 4 PM Thursday to 4 AM PST Friday for
PZZ350-356-370-376.
NSK/MAS/BMSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Calimus RAWS recorded a gust to 58 mph at 07/2200 PST.
The ODOT sensor at Humbug Mountain reported many gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak wind was 73 mph, recorded at 08/0531 PST and 08/0746 PST. The Flynn Prairie RAWS recorded a gust to 64 mph at 08/0713 and a gust to 61 mph at 08/0813 PST.
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, March 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: 734363, 734362.