An intense cold front swept through the Intermountain West creating high winds and hazardous conditions including wind gusts to 70 MPH.
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 BOI wrote it up.
An intense cold front swept through the Intermountain West creating high winds and hazardous conditions including wind gusts to 70 MPH.
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 Boise, ID wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 28, 6:51 PM PST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boise ID
851 PM MDT Sun Mar 28 2021
.DISCUSSION...The strong cold front is located just west of Baker
and Burns, Oregon. There have been several pre-frontal wind gusts
in the 40-55 mph range, with a few higher gusts, in southeast
Oregon. The timing of the frontal passage has been consistent with
the latest guidance, moving through Baker and Burns in the next
hour or two, McCall-Boise shortly after midnight, and Twin
Falls/Jerome about 3-4 am. There will be a period of strong,
possibly locally damaging winds, with the front. It will remain
windy on Monday, mainly east of Mountain Home, with winds
subsiding by evening. Very little if any shower activity is
expected in the valleys, with some showers and light snow
accumulations in the mountains. Temperatures will be 20-30
degrees cooler on Monday, with highs in most valley locations only
in the 40s. No updates.
&&
.AVIATION...VFR. Increasing and lowering clouds this evening. A
strong cold front passage will bring a few hours of IFR snow
showers and mountains obscuration near the front. Cold front will
be near BNO BKE around 4z, BOI 7z, TWF JER 10z/Mon. Surface winds
W-SW 15-25kt ahead of front, shifting to NW 25-35kt with gusts of
50-60kt along the front, diminishing to NW 20-30kt behind the
front. Low level wind shear expected ahead of the front from 3z-
10z/Mon. Winds aloft at 10k feet MSL: W-SW 50-70kt, becoming NW
35-50kt by 12z/Mon, easing to NW 15-25kt by 21z/Mon.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...
SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday night...Prefrontal winds are
ramping up this afternoon across southeast Oregon. Have seen dust
coming off some dry lake beds in Lake county blowing into Harney
county. Winds will strengthen further as a fast moving upper
trough and accompany cold front charges through Oregon and
southwest Idaho this evening into tonight. Timing of the front has
remained consistent with its expected passage through Baker City
and Burns between 04-06Z this evening, to McCall by 07Z, through
Ontario to Mountain Home and the w-central and Boise mountains
between 06-09Z before reaching Twin Falls and Jerome between
10-12Z. The tight surface pressure gradient and near surface winds
will support a brief period (2-3 hours) of very strong gusts.
Most areas will see gusts in the 45 to 60 mph range with isolated
higher speeds across more elevated and open terrain. Winds will
fall off behind the front Monday morning though remain breezy
through the day, especially across portions of the Snake Plain
where gusty winds continue into Monday afternoon. The focus of
these winds, which be weaker than with the frontal passage, will
be from Mountain Home eastward. Showers will accompany the frontal
passage in the mountains with light accumulating snow expected.
Valleys could see showers with the front but it is looking like a
mostly dry passage at lower elevations. The cold upper trough will
support shower development in the mountains through the day
Monday while valleys remain dry. High temperatures are 20 to 30
degrees cooler than today, or about 10 degrees below normal.
Mountain showers dissipate Monday night leaving the area dry and
cold. Tuesday is dry under a northwest flow. Temperatures warm 3
to 6 degrees from Monday though gusty afternoon winds will add a
chill. Similar to Monday night, Tuesday night will be cold but
with less wind.
LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday...Upper level ridge remains
over the area with dry southwest flow for the remainder of the
week. Temperatures are expected to rise well above normal. The
ridge begins to break down by the weekend though above average
uncertainty remains in the ensemble solutions with the next
trough. The trough off the Pacific Coast does eventually move
inland though that may happen later than previous forecasts. At
the moment, the forecast trends cooler with increasing chances of
precip both late Saturday and Sunday due to the timing
uncertainty.
&&
.BOI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ID...High Wind Warning from midnight tonight to 3 PM MDT Monday
IDZ014-016-030.
Wind Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 AM MDT Monday
IDZ011-013-028-033.
High Wind Warning from midnight tonight to 6 AM MDT Monday
IDZ012-015.
High Wind Warning until 6 AM MDT Monday IDZ029.
OR...High Wind Warning from midnight MDT /11 PM PDT/ tonight to 6 AM
MDT /5 AM PDT/ Monday ORZ064.
High Wind Warning until 6 AM MDT /5 AM PDT/ Monday ORZ061-063.
Wind Advisory until 5 AM PDT Monday ORZ062.
&&
www.weather.gov/Boise
www.facebook.com/NWSBoise
www.twitter.com/NWSBoise
DISCUSSION...BW
AVIATION.....KA
PREV SHORT TERM...SP
PREV LONG TERM....JSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Antelope RAWS measured a 66 MPH wind gust and Riddle Mountain a gust to 63 MPH with other Mesonet sites reporting upper 50 MPH winds.
The ASOS at Baker City measured a 59 MPH wind gust with many Mesonet sites reporting upper 50 MPH winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, March 2021
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: 949874, 949870.