High Wind — Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Oregon

2021-10-24 · Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Oregon

Event narrative

An ODOT station between MP222 and MP223 along Interstate 84 in OR measured a peak wind gust of 75 mph with sustained winds around 50 mph at 0815 PDT. The COOP observer EW7176 in Adams, OR measured a wind gust of 73 mph at 1117 PDT. The East Umatilla Fire and Rescue reported a couple of power pole fires that were attributed to strong winds on Broad St. in Weston, OR.

Wider weather episode

A deep Pacific low pressure system that passed to the northwest of the forecast area on Oct. 24th created a tight and strong surface pressure gradient across the eastern mountains of OR and far southeast WA as well as a strong 850mb jet across the region. This in turn led to strong winds mixing down into north facing foothill locations in eastern OR and WA.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 991021. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.