A warm front lifting from the southwest allowed for gusty winds to occur downslope of the Blue Mountains during the overnight and early morning hours of November 13.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 PDT wrote it up.
A warm front lifting from the southwest allowed for gusty winds to occur downslope of the Blue Mountains during the overnight and early morning hours of November 13.
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 Nov 12, 10:05 PM PST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
1005 PM PST Tue Nov 12 2024
Updated Aviation Discussion
.AVIATION...06Z TAFs...A mix of VFR and MVFR conditions are
expected, with periods of MVFR due to rain and mist. Most likely
location to see MVFR or worse should be YKM, though other sites
seeing rain could have periods of reduced VIS/lowered CIGs as
well. Rain will move in through the overnight hours and should
persist through the period either over or nearby all sites.
Breezy winds expected to return with widespread gusts 20-30 knots
outside of YKM/DLS where 10 knots or less is expected. CIGs will
range between 2.5-5k during rain, becoming higher to around 10k
feet outside of rain. Goatley/87
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 217 PM PST Tue Nov 12 2024/
SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday...An active weather pattern in
the region will make for gusty winds, rain, and high mountain snow
over the next several days. No real concern for snow at pass level,
however the Cascades and Blues are expected to get persistent
snowfall at at least 4000 feet, with a round of area-wide showers
moving in overnight and lasting into much of the day Wednesday.
Along this warm front driving the precip, winds will pick up,
especially at the base of the Blue Mountains, where several wind
headlines are in effect starting late tonight and lasting through
Wednesday evening.
Models depict a series of waves trekking through the PacNW, with our
area caught currently in a transitionary period between two systems,
with little going on outside of breezy conditions through the lower
elevations. Amplified flow aloft and tightened pressure gradients
are to blame, with strong winds becoming increasingly orographically
driven as the next wave moves in tonight.
A warm front stemming from a deep surface low off the BC coast will
drive these stronger winds tonight, with amplified SW flow aloft
generally conducive to these strong downsloping wind events across
the foothills of the Blues, extending into the Grande Ronde Valley
as well. Wind Advisories are in effect as a result starting at 10 PM
tonight, with the exception for the I-84 corridor right at the base
of the Blues, right around Wildhorse and Cabbage Hill. Winds around
here gusted up to 60 mph with the previous wave, and with this
system expected to be stronger, confidence is higher (60-70%) in
wind gusts exceeding 60 mph at times for this area, especially
between daybreak Wednesday and the early afternoon. Winds elsewhere
along the Blues are expected to be in the 45-55 mph range, with
widespread gusts of 25-35 mph elsewhere across the lower elevations.
Pressure gradients are then expected to relent by Wednesday evening
as the PacNW becomes enveloped by the trough associated with the
aforementioned BC low. Drier, albeit colder weather is then expected
to prevail for Thursday into Friday.
Snow levels will be elevated thanks to the warm air advection
provided by the oncoming warm front. Expecting levels around 5000
feet plus around the onset of precip, decreasing during the day
Thursday as colder air moves in with the trough. However, the air
mass will be much drier, so precip concerns by Thursday will be
relatively limited. Better chances for precip return over the
upcoming weekend. Evans/74
LONG TERM...Friday through Tuesday...Models and ensemble clusters
are in good agreement on the evolution of the 500 mb pattern through
the extended period. There will be one major storm system impacting
the area Saturday night through Sunday night though the whole period
looks unsettled. Friday through Saturday morning a deep upper level
trough over the Great Basin with shortwave energy extending
northward into Washington, will result in a few mainly mountain rain
and snow showers. However the potential for highlight worthy snow is
less than 10%. From 06Z Sunday to 06Z Monday QPF will become much
heavier with 0.60-1.20 inches forecast over the Cascade east slopes
and northeast mountains and .10-.40 inches over the lower
elevations. As far as snow is concerned, probabilities of exceeding
8 inches of snow for the Cascades and northern Blues range from 30-
70% but mainly above 4000-4500 feet owing to high snow levels at the
onset of the precipitation event. Snow levels will decrease to
around 3000 feet Sunday night and early Monday but precipitation
will be lighter by that time. Probabilities are at least moderate
(40-60%) that a few winter highlights will be needed for the the
storm system over the weekend.
On Monday night and Tuesday an upper level ridge will build over the
region. This will result in decreasing POPS though there will still
be a slight chance (15-25% chance) of mountain snow showers. It will
be rather cold Monday and Tuesday night with lows in the 20s except
teens in the mountains. Ensemble forecast soundings over the Columbia
Basin show a surface-based inversion developing both nights which
may support the development of at least patchy freezing fog. 78
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 41 52 41 55 / 60 100 60 40
ALW 44 53 44 57 / 40 100 80 50
PSC 47 55 45 58 / 50 100 50 10
YKM 40 55 35 55 / 50 70 40 20
HRI 45 57 44 58 / 60 100 50 20
ELN 38 50 35 52 / 70 80 50 40
RDM 41 50 36 49 / 30 90 30 40
LGD 36 43 34 47 / 40 90 80 60
GCD 35 46 34 48 / 40 90 70 50
DLS 45 57 42 55 / 60 80 60 60
&&
.PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Wind Advisory until 4 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ049-507-508.
High Wind Warning until 4 PM PST Wednesday for ORZ507.
WA...Wind Advisory until 4 PM PST Wednesday for WAZ029.
&&
SHORT TERM...74
LONG TERM....78
AVIATION...87The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
ODOT sensor at Cabbage Hill recorded a max wind gust of 62 mph during the overnight/early morning of November 13.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, November 2024
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: 1223371.