A wind gust reached 100 mph or above at McNary Dam during the Sept. 15 windstorm, the Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Monday.
McNary Lock and Dam doesn’t normally doesn’t capture specific weather events, though McNary does have a wind anemometer or “wind gauge” at the dam. The anemometer’s highest windspeed reading capability is 99.9 mph.
Sunday, Sept. 15 was unusual, so the operator on duty logged in the following:
6:01 p.m. – Wind Gage exceeded 99.9 MPH
6:19 p.m. – Wind Gage reads 92.2 MPH
Meteorologists have confirmed the storm was a haboob, common to the American Southwest, Northern Africa and Arabian Peninsula but rare in the Northwest.
The storm knocked down 54 power poles in the Umatilla Electric service territory, mostly at Butter Creek, and did widespread damage in northeast Oregon and eastern Washington.
