An upper low in the eastern Pacific guided a moisture plume over the region, resulting in numerous rain showers developing across the region. Increasing instability from southerly flow aloft also resulted in thunderstorms developing, with a few storms producing hail stones over an inch in diameter, strong winds, and brief heavy downpours.
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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.
An upper low in the eastern Pacific guided a moisture plume over the region, resulting in numerous rain showers developing across the region. Increasing instability from southerly flow aloft also resulted in thunderstorms developing, with a few storms producing hail stones over an inch in diameter, strong winds, and brief heavy downpours.
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 Jul 2, 12:53 PM PST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pendleton OR 153 PM PDT Sat Jul 2 2022 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday night. A low pressure system over the epac will pump moisture into the two state area tonight. Showers had developed earlier this morning over portions of the region and the the rap/hrrr href appear to be underdoing this. Therefore the forecast has been adjusted to be more aggressive with the areal coverage of the pcpn. Thus showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue developing and increase in intensity later today and in coverage tonight. Slight discrepancies in the location of the convection but the overall picture is thunderstorms are expected over the region especially around central Oregon pushing north and also around the Blue Mountains into portions of the foothills. Some of the storms may become strong and produce gusty winds...hail...frequent lightning and brief heavy rain where the gfs/euro were indicting generous cape values. Meanwhile the models persist with the showers and convection overnight and into tomorrow morning with a focus on the central and eastern locations of the area. The low pressure system over the epac approaches the WA/OR coast Sunday and the moisture combining with daytime heating will produce showers and thunderstorms again across the region with the best chances along the east slops of the WA cascades and over the blue/wallowa mountains. Some drier air works its way into our western zones Sunday afternoon and evening while the showers and thunderstorms persists over the eastern half of the area into Monday. The low pressure system is forecast to move inland Monday and a challenge could be with the location of additional moisture advecting into southern and eastern zones Monday. Showers and thunderstorms are expected across this area with the better chances over the area mountains. As the system moves east the pcpn is expected to decrease Monday night but linger over central Oregon and Blue/Wallowas. High temperatures are forecast to remain below normal into the beginning of next week only climbing into the 70s with 60s in the mountains. LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday...No major weather concerns are anticipated during the extended forecast period. Tuesday through Thursday will be seasonably warm with low chance PoPs for showers or thunderstorms. The forecast area will be under a southwest flow aloft and a fluctuating inverted surface thermal trough. By the end of the week, models depict a dry WSW flow. There is some model variability but the overall synoptic pattern is the same. An upper low centered near 45N/140W on Tuesday will deepen and rotate between 40N-50N and 130W-140W Wednesday through Thursday. The deterministic ECMWF is farther east than the GFS and Canadian, and the ECMWF is a little more bullish with precipitation compared to the others models. However, the ensembles are in general agreement and the QPF differences are mainly west of the Cascades. There is no strong organized front or upper level short wave to anticipate any significant weather. But, the mid level moisture in the southwest flow aloft and steep lapse rates will bring a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms, mainly over the mountains. The model differences become a little more pronounced Friday- Saturday, particularly with the position of the upper low and the amplitude of its associated trough as it move onshore. Nevertheless, the ensemble means show little to no QPF during this time. For now, it looks like Friday and Saturday will be breezy in the lower elevations and a little cooler on Saturday. Wister/85 && .AVIATION...18Z TAFs (previous discussion)...Aviation concerns will revolve around the thunderstorms that will develop this afternoon and evening. The air mass is already unstable, as evident by the ACCAS clouds throughout the area and isolated thunderstorms that developed early this morning along the Oregon Cascades. Cumulus buildups will fill the area as the day progresses. Thunderstorms will develop over central Oregon around 22Z and track north- northeast this afternoon and evening. Most of the forecast area is under a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms. All TAF sites will have a chance of thunderstorms and the outflow winds VRB 35-40kts were included with the thunderstorm threat for several locations. Wister/85 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 58 77 54 76 / 60 40 30 30 ALW 60 80 56 79 / 60 40 30 30 PSC 64 83 58 82 / 50 40 20 20 YKM 60 78 51 79 / 50 70 20 20 HRI 61 81 57 81 / 50 40 20 20 ELN 60 74 52 76 / 60 80 30 30 RDM 53 72 47 74 / 60 30 30 20 LGD 55 73 51 71 / 60 60 50 50 GCD 52 75 49 73 / 50 60 50 40 DLS 60 76 54 80 / 30 30 10 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...None. WA...None. && SHORT TERM...97 LONG TERM....85 AVIATION...85
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
220 PM PDT Sat Jul 2 2022
ORZ049-050-502-503-022200-
Grande Ronde Valley OR-Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon OR-
Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon OR-Wallowa County OR-
220 PM PDT Sat Jul 2 2022
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern
Umatilla and southwestern Union Counties through 300 PM PDT...
At 220 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles south of Starkey, or 21 miles southwest of La Grande, moving
north at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
La Grande, Meacham, Union, Island City, Cove, Telocaset, Kamela,
Hilgard, Starkey and southern Umatilla Reservation.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4506 11785 4507 11787 4499 11797 4500 11803
4505 11811 4504 11814 4502 11816 4501 11821
4495 11825 4496 11868 4544 11860 4545 11858
4557 11858 4535 11768
TIME...MOT...LOC 2120Z 193DEG 19KT 4511 11840
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
VPThe Pendleton radar (KPDT), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:27 UTC.
6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail stones up to 1 inch in diameter were measured at the Indian Lake Campground.
An amateur radio operator reported hail stones up to 1 inch in diameter 3 miles N of Spray, OR.
Hail stones between 1 inch to 1.75 inches in diameter were produced by a slow moving thunderstorm that passed over the Bend, OR area.
Trained spotter near Dale, OR reported hail stones up to 1 inch in diameter. The storm continued northeast into neighboring Umatilla and Union counties, producing hail stones up to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Hail stones up to the diameter of 1.5 inches was reported near the Drift Fence Campground. The same thunderstorm had also produced 1 inch sized hail in the neighboring Grant county.
A strong thunderstorm that originated in Grant County, OR continued across Umatilla County and into Union county in the evening. A trained spotter in Summerville, OR measured hail stones up to 1.75 inches in diameter. Social media reports from Summerville, OR also indicated that hail stones had damaged plants in a garden and dented the panels of an unsheltered car.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, July 2022
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: 1049337, 1049368, 1049323, 1049331, 1049335, 1049348.