A High Wind Warning was issued for the Southern Oregon coastal headlands (ORZ021/022) at 1915 PST on 12/15 and expired at 2255 PST on 12/16. The observations recorded above were the peak sustained and peak gust at Cape Blanco.
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 High Wind Warning was issued for the Southern Oregon coastal headlands (ORZ021/022) at 1915 PST on 12/15 and expired at 2255 PST on 12/16. The observations recorded above were the peak sustained and peak gust at Cape Blanco. Several other observations from Cape Blanco also 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 16, 7:30 AM PST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 AM PDT SUN DEC 16 2001
BASED UPON BEST INITIALIZATION AND RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY HAVE
DECIDED TO GO WITH THE AVN TIMING AND CAA FROM THIS SYSTEM. BEST JET
ENHANCEMENT ARE TONIGHT WITH NCA IN LEFT FRONT QUAD OF JET AS SNOW
LEVELS DROP TO NEAR 300 FEET AFTER 06Z. MOVEMENT OF SYSTEM WILL BE
FASTER THAN ADVERTISED BY THE ETA...BUT UVV ARE IMPRESSIVE WITH
DYNAMICS AND SHOULD PROVIDE HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES FOR IN EXCESS OF 9
HRS. A BREIF RESPITE IS IN ORDER BEFORE NEXT SYSTEM KICKS IN ON
TUESDAY. HOWEVER WITH WAA INTO THIS SYSTEM SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN
HIGH ENOUGH TO PRECLUDE CONCERNS FOR MOST OF AREA AT THIS TIME.
RIDGING BUILD IN TOWARDS THE WEEKEND AND CONCERN WILL BE VALLEY FOG
INTO SUNDAY. SVEN
.MFR...GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
HEAVY SURF ADVISORY ORZ021/022
HIGH WIND WARNING HEADLANDS TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING
ORZ021/22.
HIGH WIND WARNING SOUTHERN CHRISTMAS VALLEY FROM SUMMER LAKE
TO VALLEY FALLS TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING ORZ031.
WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING
ORZ025/030/CAZ080/081/082.
SNOW ADVISORY TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING
ORZ027/028/029/030/CAZ083/084/085.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
1149 AM PST SUN DEC 16 2001
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1030 AM BANDON OR NON TSTM WINDS
12/16/01 COOS SPOTTER CU41 REPORTS WIND
GUSTING TO 51 MPH. SPOTTER
HAS WIND EQUIP.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Blanco recorded a sustained wind of 57 mph.
Cape Blanco recorded a peak gust of 77 mph.
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: 5273873, 5273874.