A combination of marginal instability and strong shear brought a few strong thunderstorms to Gilliam and Wasco County on the afternoon of June 26th. In Condon hail accumulations of up to 2 inches was reported while the largest hailstone topped out around nickel size.
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The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.
A combination of marginal instability and strong shear brought a few strong thunderstorms to Gilliam and Wasco County on the afternoon of June 26th. In Condon hail accumulations of up to 2 inches was reported while the largest hailstone topped out around nickel size. Further southeast in Wasco county wind gusts of 55 to 57 mph were reported. This event was covered by a severe thunderstorm watch, the last watch that was issued for the Inland Northwest occurred 780 days prior.
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 Jun 26, 12:28 PM PST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pendleton OR 128 PM PDT Wed Jun 26 2019 .SHORT TERM...initial elevated convection moving through Washington into eastern Oregon with more convection firing up across central Oregon. Overall coverage and intensity of storms expected to increase this afternoon with abundant daytime heating and cold air advection aloft helping to destabilize the atmosphere. As the upper-level low moves onshore, a jet streak rounding the bottom is pushing into southern OR, allowing for ample lift and convective initiation. Good shear across central/northeast OR into southeast WA could support discrete and multicellular clusters through the evening. A Severe Thunderstorms Watch has been until 8PM for the threat of strong winds and large hail. Multiple rounds of convection possible through the evening hours before a downward trend after sunset. Surface moisture is marginal but enough mid level moisture expected that most the activity should be wet with heavy rain expected under cores. However, fast storm speed to the north and abundant lightning outside of rain cores will allow for some new fire starts, especially across lower elevations in central OR into the Col Basin where fine fuels and grasses are drier. As the upper low slowly drifts onshore Thursday and Friday will continue to see rounds of showers and thunderstorms as shortwaves continue to move through the area, but would not expect any severe storms with this activity as both instability and shear will be quite a bit weaker. Most of the convection likely centered over the mountains as well. With the low moving overhead, expect the cooler weather to continue with highs in the 60s and 70s and lows in the upper 30s to lower 50s. .LONG TERM...Friday night through Wednesday. One part of the upper low will move east Friday night, but an overall trough remains draped back across Washington and western Oregon. The trough elongates on Saturday with some moisture and instability along the Cascades and northeast Oregon. Model in fair agreement with this trough breaking off into a cut off low that just kinds of drifts offshore through about Tuesday. With the southwest flow around the low, there may be some moisture advected into the region at times. By Wednesday, the models disagree with the GFS having a ridge building in, while EC keeps a closed low over area. EC has been a little more consistent in keeping closed low, but confidence is low in either solution at this time. Temperatures should be warming as overall pattern show height rising through the period. 93 && .AVIATION...00z Tafs. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible across the area through the evening, with strong to severe thunderstorms possible over the Blue Mountains and in and around KPDT and KALW from about through 04z. Overall VFR conditions are expected today. Any TSRA that impact a particular TAF site could bring locally MVFR conditions and strong gusty winds. Outside of any thunderstorms, winds will generally be around 10 kt with gusts to 15kts, Overnight showers will be decreasing leaving some mid and high clouds. Another round of showers and thunderstorms are expected Thursday afternoon. 93 && .FIRE WEATHER...Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Red Flag warnings have been issued for abundant lightning in fine fuels across the lower elevations of Oregon and Washington. While storms are expected to be wet they will also be quite fast moving limiting time to extinguish any new starts. Gusty and erratic winds outside the heavier precipitation cores will allow for a conditional threat of fast spreading grass fires this evening. The most significant lighting density is expected to occur in the higher elevations of the Blue Mountains where heavy fuels are not yet dry enough to qualify for Red Flag warnings. More thunderstorms expected tomorrow and Friday, but areal coverage decreases each day with lightning mainly centered over the mountains. Cooler weather and generally light winds outside of thunderstorms expected to continue through Friday before a general warming and drying trend for the weekend. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 51 71 48 72 / 70 30 30 10 ALW 54 74 51 75 / 80 20 30 10 PSC 56 77 54 77 / 70 20 10 10 YKM 52 73 50 73 / 60 30 20 30 HRI 54 75 53 77 / 80 20 20 10 ELN 51 67 48 67 / 70 60 30 40 RDM 41 64 40 68 / 80 50 40 20 LGD 48 65 46 68 / 70 70 40 30 GCD 45 64 44 69 / 60 60 30 20 DLS 53 68 53 71 / 50 30 20 20 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...Red Flag Warning until midnight PDT tonight for ORZ610-639>641. WA...Red Flag Warning until midnight PDT tonight for WAZ639-641-675. && 84/93/93
The Pendleton radar (KPDT), 178 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:53 UTC.
2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail up to nickel size and .62 inches of rainfall in 15 minutes was reported.
Hailstones up to the size of nickels were reported with accumulations of up to 2 inches on the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, June 2019
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: 823386, 823388.