A High Wind Warning was issued for the headland of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 1329 PST on 12/17 and expired at 1100 PST on 12/18. The reports above verified the warning.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 headland of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 1329 PST on 12/17 and expired at 1100 PST on 12/18. The reports above verified the warning. Cape Blanco exceeded high wind warning criteria continuously between 0241 and 0811 PST on 12/18.
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 18, 4:21 AM PST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
420 AM PDT TUE DEC 18 2001
AMENDED TO ADD SNOW ADVISORY FOR CRATER LAKE.
...A MARGINAL WINTER STORM TODAY, THEN A STRONGER STORM WEDNESDAY
NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...
IR/WV IMAGERY EARLY THIS TUESDAY MORNING SHOWS A STRONG UPPER JET
BEGINNING TO PUNCH ONSHORE NEAR THE CALIFORIA/OREGON BORDER. TO THE
NORTH A SFC LOW OFF THE WASHINGTON COAST IS HEADED NE INTO S BRITISH
COLUMBIA. AS THE WARM FRONT APPROACHES AND MOVES ONSHORE TODAY,
COASTAL WIND AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL INCREASE. AS A RESULT SEVERAL
WIND AND SNOW HEADLINES REMAIN IN EFFECT.
SPECIFICS...06Z MESOETA PEAKS S BLYR WINDS AHEAD OF WARM FRONT 15-18Z
THIS MORNING AT THE COAST. HIGH WIND WARNING LOOKS GOOD. STRONG UVV
AND UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE LFQ OF THE UPPER JET HAVE ALSO SUPPORT
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OFF THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST. WILL CARRY A
CHANCE OF T-STORMS FOR THE COOS COAST THIS MORNING AS FORCING SHIFTS
NE. HAVE ALSO OPTED TO THROW UP A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SHASTA VALLEY
TODAY. ALL THE MODELS INCREASE 700MB SW FLOW TO 45-50KT AS KMFR-KRDD
SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT INCREASING TO 5-6MB. THIS WILL SUPPORT WIND
GUSTS TO 50-55 MPH IN FUNNELED S END OF THE SHASTA VALLEY (NEAR
WEED). REGARDING PRECIP...THE BEST SYNOPTIC-SCALE FORCING (700-300MB
Q-VECTOR CONV) CLEARLY REMAINS OVER CENTRAL/NORTHERN OREGON. AS A
RESULT THE SHASTA AREA WILL HAVE RELY ON OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT TO
REACH WINTER STORM WARNING CRITERIA SNOWFALL. 06Z MESOETA CRANKS OUT
1.1 INCHES OF QPF LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT LENDING SUPPORT TO A LOW-
END WARNING. SNOW LEVELS LOWER THAN SYNOPTICALLY GIVEN BY MODELS DUE
TO OROGRAPHIC FORCING OVER THE SHASTA AREA AND SISKIYOU MTNS...NEAR
3500 FEET. OVER THE SISKIYOUS THE SNOW ADVISORY LOOKS QUITE MARGINAL
WITH BEST QPF OVER SW JOSEPHINE COUNTY. EVEN LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS
BELOW SNOW ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE S CASCADES (HOWARD PRAIRIE & LAKE
OF THE WOODS) WILL BE WORDED INTO THE ZONES.
WOLF
.MFR...GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
HEAVY SURF ADVISORY COASTAL WATERS & ORZ021/022.
HIGH WIND WARNING THIS MORNING COASTAL HEADLANDS (ORZ021/022).
WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3500 FT TODAY & TONIGHT MT. SHASTA
AREA (CAZ082).
SNOW ADVISORY ABOVE 3500 FT THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT
FOR CAZ080 & ORZ028 SISKIYOUS MOUNTAINS.
SNOW ADVISORY FOR ORZ027 (CRATER LAKE) THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.
WIND ADVISORY THIS MORNING SHASTA VALLEY (CAZ081).The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Blanco reported a sustained wind of 60 mph and a gust of 72 mph between 0600 and 0700 PST on 12/18.
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: 5274176.