A Snow Advisory was in effect for zone CAZ082 and several other zones, but it was allowed to expire around 1400 PST on 02/09/01. As the above reports indicate, the advisory should have been a Heavy Snow Warning in this one zone and it should have been allowed to run until at least the evening hours of 02/09/01.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 MFR wrote it up.
A Snow Advisory was in effect for zone CAZ082 and several other zones, but it was allowed to expire around 1400 PST on 02/09/01. As the above reports indicate, the advisory should have been a Heavy Snow Warning in this one zone and it should have been allowed to run until at least the evening hours of 02/09/01.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:06 AM PST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PST FRI FEB 09 2001
TWO VORT CENTERS/MOIST REGIONS ROTATING AROUND CENTER OF LOW WILL
SWEEP ACROSS SOUTHWEST OREGON JUST BEFORE AND JUST AFTER 12Z TODAY.
MESO ETA/ETA SHOW A VORT CENTER CROSSING BETWEEN 12Z AND 15Z WITH
ENOUGH QPF TO DROP AROUND ONE MORE INCH OF SNOW. TEMPS IN SOME OF THE
VALLEYS WILL BE NEAR FREEZING SO WILL EXTEND THE SNOW ADVISORY FOR
ZONES 21 THROUGH 26 UNTIL 18Z. NO CHANGE TO THE ADVISORIES FOR CAZ080
TO 082 AS HIGHER QPF AND UPSLOPE CONDITIONS FAVOR THOSE AREAS
ESPECIALLY 082 WITH A FEW MORE INCHES OF SNOW.
NEXT SYSTEM SATURDAY CONTINUES THE COLD CONDITIONS WITH VERY LOW SNOW
LEVELS. VERY COLD AIR WRAPS AROUND THE LOW WITH 850MB TEMPS FALLING
IN SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE LOW. HAVE CONSIDERED A WATCH BUT
APPEARS THE BULK OF THE SNOW WILL OCCUR AFTER 00Z SUNDAY. BY 12Z
SUNDAY 3 TO 5 INCHES COULD ACCUMULATE IN THE COAST RANGE AND ABOVE
VALLEY FLOORS INLAND WEST OF THE CASCADES. VALLEY FLOORS COULD SEE A
FEW INCHES PERHAPS...BUT HARD TO SAY FOR SURE. WESTERN SISKYOU IS THE
MOST FAVORED AREA FOR SNOW WHERE IT WILL PERSIST IN UPSLOPE FLOW
THROUGH SUNDAY.
THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD PRETTY MUCH END MONDAY AS THE LOW MOVES INTO
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM AT 500MB BUT CONTINUE VERY
COLD AT 850MB MONDAY WITH A LITTLE WARMING TUESDAY. WILL MODIFY THE
EXTENDED LOWING POPS TO CHANCE MONDAY AND TAKE THEM OUT TUESDAY.
MO
.MFR...SNOW ADVISORY ABOVE 1000 FT TODAY CAZ080>082-ORZ021>026.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE TO PT. ST. GEORGE.
OTH RR 044/038 044/035 046 11+798
4BK RR 048/038 048/037 048 11+798
RBG RR 041/033 040/033 041 11+798
MFR OS 040/029 039/030 040 119798
LMT JS 036/023 035/021 034 117578
LKV JS 034/018 033/017 031 117468
MHS SS 037/025 035/024 033 11+698ORZ021>028-CAZ080>085-091800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 550 AM PST FRI FEB 9 2001 ...ANOTHER COLD PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE AREA STARTING SATURDAY AFTERNOON... THIS MORING A LOW PRESSURE CENTER JUST OFF THE COAST OF OREGON WILL MOVE SOUTH TO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST TONIGHT. SNOW FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL TAPER OFF TODAY TO JUST SNOW FLURRIES BY LATE MORNING IN SOUTHWEST OREGON. SNOW WILL LINGER LONGER EAST OF THE CASCADES AND IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BUT SNOWFALL WILL TURN TO FLURRIES BY EVENING IN THESE AREAS. DUE TO THIS SYSTEM SNOW ADVISORIES ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST OREGON AND PARTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. A SECOND COLDER STORM WILL DROP SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN OREGON BY EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO THE VALLEY FLOORS CREATING POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SNOW FALL TOTALS IN SOUTHWEST OREGON BY SUNDAY MORNING COULD POSSIBLY RANGE FROM A FEW INCHES IN THE VALLEY FLOORS TO 4 TO 5 INCHES AT 3000 FEET. WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY IN CALIFORNIA COULD HAVE SLIGHTLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE SNOW THERE IS LIKEY TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS APPROACHING STORM...INCLUDING POSSIBLE WATCHES...WARNINGS...OR ADVISORIES...STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO. FOR THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS IN OREGON...CALL 1-800-977-6368. FOR THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS IN CALIFORNIA...CALL 1-916-445-7623. MO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A California Department of Water Resources snow measuring device reported 10 inches of snow between 0000 and 2400 PST on 02/09 and an additional 7 inches between 0000 and 0600 PST on 02/09
Spotter SY03 in Dunsmuir reported 7 inches of snow since early morning.
Spotter SY31 3 miles NW of Black Butte reported 11 inches of snow since the previous evening.
Spotter SY68 3.5 miles NW of Mt. Shasta at 3685 feet reported 8 inches of snow between 1000 and 1500 PST.
Spotter SY39 6 miles W of Black Butte reported a storm total of 18 inches of snow between 1700 PST on 02/09 and 0900 PST on 02/10. Elevation 4040 feet.
Spotter SY70 3 miles S of McCloud reported a storm total of 25 inches of snow between 1700 PST on 02/08 to 0900 PST on 02/10.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2001
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: 5229696, 5231669, 5231670, 5231671, 5229694, 5229695.