A Winter Storm Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ027/028/030 at 0520 PST on 12/13 and expired at 0520 PST on 12/14. Numerous reports of significant snow were received, but the reports above are the only ones that verified the warning.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 Winter Storm Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ027/028/030 at 0520 PST on 12/13 and expired at 0520 PST on 12/14. Numerous reports of significant snow were received, but the reports above are the only ones that verified the warning.
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 Dec 14, 1:30 AM PST, 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT FRI DEC 14 2001
WILL TAKE DOWN OUR SNOWFALL HEADLINES WITH THE ISSUANCE OF THE
MORNING FORECAST. ETA AND AVN BOTH HAD A GOOD HANDLE ON THE TIMING OF
THIS MORNINGS FEATURES. THE COLD FRONT HAS MOVED EAST OF LAKEVIEW
AND THUS OUR REGION WILL HAVE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING SHOWERS TODAY
WHILE SNOW LEVELS DROP TO AROUND 2000 FEET THIS MORNING. EXPECT AN
ADDITIONAL 1 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS TODAY WITH AN INCH
OR LESS ELSEWHERE. SNOW LEVELS WILL NOT RISE VERY MUCH UNTIL THE
ARRIVAL OF WARM FRONTAL INDUCED PRECIP SATURDAY MORNING. MOIST ZONAL
FLOW ALOFT ON SATURDAY WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY NIGHT WITH RAIN
MAINLY AT THE COAST AND SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5500 FEET. AN APPROACHING
COLD FRONT WILL HELP CREATE WINDY CONDITIONS AT THE COAST SATURDAY
BUT SPEEDS WILL BE STRONGEST AS THE FRONT ARRIVES SUNDAY. AVN
PROJECTS THE FRONT AND RAIN TO SPREAD SLOWLY INLAND WITH SNOW LEVELS
REMAINING 5000-5500 FEET THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LOW CONFIDENCE IN
TIMING BEYOND THE WEEKEND BUT MRF DOES SHOW SHORTWAVE RIDGING FOR
TUESDAY...ANOTHER FRONTAL PASSAGE WEDNESDAY AND A CHANGE TO LONGWAVE
RIDGING FOR THE LAST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. WEYGAND
.MFR...GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
HEAVY SURF ADVISORY TODAY ORZ021/22.
WINTER STORM WARNING EARLY MORNING ORZ027/028/NRN 30 &
CAZ080/082.
SNOW ADVISORY EARLY MORNING ORZ025/29/30/31 &
CAZ081/083/084/085PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
1106 PM PST THU DEC 13 2001
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0130 PM PORT ORFORD OR
12/13/01 CURRY COOP OBSERVER PORT ORFORD
5E REPORTS OVERNIGHT RAIN
FALL 1.64 IN.
0131 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU10 REPORTS 1.72
IN RAIN SINCE MIDNIGHT.
0229 PM MT SHASTA CA NON TSTM WINDS
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SPOTTER SY39 REPORTS NEAR
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS 6MI
WEST OF BLACK BUTTE AT
4000 FEET. WIND 30 TO 35
MPH WITH HEAVY SNOW AT
2PM.
0340 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU04 REPORTS
2.00IN OF RAIN SINCE 7AM
AT HARBOR.
0341 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU10 REPORTS
ANOTHER 1.20 RAIN PAST 2
HOURS FROM 4PM.
0539 PM WILLIAMS OR
12/13/01 JOSEPHINE SPOTTER JO35 IN WILLIAMS
REPORTS 1.3IN RAIN SINCE
NOON.
0540 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU13 REPORTS 3.50
IN RAIN PAST 24HRS WITH
WIND GUSTS TO FORCE 6.
0549 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU14 IN BROOKINGS
REPORTED 2.40 RAIN IN
PAST 7 HOURS ENDING 6 PM
0554 PM GOLD BEACH OR
12/13/01 CURRY CU 12 IN GOLD BEACH
REPORTED 2.07 RAIN IN
PAST 12 HOURS ENDING 6 PM.
0555 PM MT SHASTA CA
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SY69 CALLED IN REPORTED 3
SNOW IN LAST HOUR AT 3500
FT.
0611 PM BUTTE FALLS OR
12/13/01 JACKSON JA 45 CALLED TO REPORT
1.17 RAIN AT 2600 FT
BETWEEN 8AM AND 6 PM.
0621 PM MT SHASTA CA
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SY 62 IN MT SHASTA CITY
CALLED TO REPORT 4 SNOW
IN PAST 3 HOURS AT 3500 FT
0633 PM SIXES OR
12/13/01 CURRY CU 7 AT SIXES CALLED TO
REPORT 1.60 FOR PAST 12
HOURS ENDING AT 7 PM
0639 PM MEDFORD OR
12/13/01 JACKSON JA 31 CALLED TO REPORT
1.25 OF RAIN IN THE PAST
6 HOURS ENDING AT 8 PM.
0814 PM MT SHASTA CA
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SY05 CALLED TO REPORT 12
INCHES OF NEW SNOW TODAY
AT 4000 FEET 2 MILES W OF
S WEED ENDING AT 9 PM
0935 PM MEDFORD OR
12/13/01 JACKSON JA 22 5 MILES W OF TALENT
REPORTED 1.24 IN THE 12
HOURS ENDING AT 8PM
0956 PM WEED CA
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SY 94 CALLED TO REPORT ONE
FOOT OF SNOW ON THE GROUND
AT 9:30PM
0957 PM YREKA CA
12/13/01 SISKIYOU SY67 CALLED TO REPORT 7
OF NEW SNOW IN PAST 3
HOURS ENDING AT 10PMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
136 AM PST FRI DEC 14 2001
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0200 PM PORT ORFORD OR
12/13/01 CURRY CAPE BLANCO...10 MILES
NNW...REPORTED SOUTH WIND
53 MPH GUST OF 77 MPH.
0700 PM SIXES OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU07 REPORTED 1.60
INCHES RAIN 7PM TO 7PM.
1000 PM BROOKINGS OR
12/13/01 CURRY SPOTTER CU10...CAPE
FERRELO...REPORTED 4.26
INCHES RAIN PAST 22 HOURS
MIDNIGHT TO 10 PM.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The Fish Lake observer reported 12 inches of snow in 24 hours ending at 0200 PST on 12/14. 4 more inches fell in morning snow showers after 0200 PST.
The cooperative observer at Lemolo lake reported 14 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0900 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 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: 5273869, 5273793.