All of the above reports verify either a Heavy Snow Warning or a Blizzard Warning. Unfortunately, the only warning issued was a Heavy Snow Warning for ORZ027 (Cascades of Douglas, Northwest Klamath, and Northeast Jackson counties).
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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.
All of the above reports verify either a Heavy Snow Warning or a Blizzard Warning. Unfortunately, the only warning issued was a Heavy Snow Warning for ORZ027 (Cascades of Douglas, Northwest Klamath, and Northeast Jackson counties). A snow advisory was in effect for ORZ030 north of Diamond Lake Junction, and two of the reports above came from that area (0749 and 0830 PST). Overall, this was pretty much a missed event with the exception of ORZ027.
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 5, 2:45 AM PST, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT WED DEC 05 2001
THE STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW REGIME THAT HAS BEEN CYCLING SYSTEMS
THROUGH THE REGION WILL BRING ONE MORE THROUGH TONIGHT BEFORE GIVING
WAY TO WEAK RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE REGION BY THE WEEKEND.
CURRENT AVAILABLE SNOTEL REPORTS IN THE CRATER LAKE AREA ARE
INDICATING SNOWFALL RATES OF AROUND AN INCH PER HOUR. LATEST MODEL
RUNS SUPPORT CURRENT FOECAST OVER AREA AND WILL KEEP ADVISORIES AND
WARNINGS UP FOR CURRENT AREAS. SNOW LEVELS ON TRACK TO RISE ABOVE
3000 FEET IN ZONES 80/82 OF CALIFORNIA AND WILL LEAVE ADVISORY UP IN
THESE ZONES FOR NEXT SHIFT TO HOIST DOWN. REST LOOKS ON TRACK UNTIL
TOMORROW NIGHT WHERE CLEARING IN COMBINATION WITH SNOW COVER HAS
PROMTED ME TO LOWER OVER NIGHT LOWS IN EASTSIDE VALLEYS AND CHEMULT
ELEVATED SNOW BOWL. OTHERWISE EXTENDED LOOKS ON TRACK WITH TIMING OF
SYSTEM ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY ALTHOUGH AM SOME WHAT CONCERNED WITH
LATEST SLOWING TREND BEING EXPRESSED BY LATEST MODEL RUNS...BUT WILL
WAIT FOR A LITTLE MORE CONSISTANCY BEFORE MODIFYING.
SVEN
.MFR...GALE WARNING...FLORENCE OR TO CAPE BLANCO OR.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...CAPE BLANCO OR. TO PT ST. GEORGE CA.
HEAVY SNOW WARNING...ORZ027 SOUTH-CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES.
SNOW ADVISORY...ORZ025 E DOUGLAS CO FOOTHILLS ABOVE 2500 FT
ORZ028 SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES
ORZ030 KLAMATH COUNTY N OF DIAMOND LAKE JCT
CAZ080/082 W SISKAYOU COUNTY AND SHASTA VALLEY
ABOVE 2500 FEET.
ZCZC PDXSCSMFR DEF
FPUS46 KMFR DDHHMM
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
345 AM PST WED DEC 05 2001
CITY TODAY HI TONIGHT LO TOMORROW HI
YREKA RNSNOW 38 RAIN 35 MOCLDY 47
MT.SHASTA RNSNOW 39 RNSNOW 33 MOCLDY 44
ALTURAS SNOW 37 RAIN 33 MOCLDY 41The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter KL73 reported 13 inches of snow between 2200 PST on 12/04 to 0500 PST on 12/5.
Spotter KL75 5N Chiloquin reported 11 inches of snow between 1900 PST on 12/04 and 0600 PST on 12/5.
Spotter LA21 8W Lakeview reported whiteout conditions with winds SW 35-40 mph.
The coop observer at Crater Lake reported 21 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0730 PST.
The coop observer at Chiloquin reported 13 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0730 PST.
Spotter KL46 midway between Gilchrist and La Pine reported 12 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter JA45 in Butte Falls reported 5 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter KL17 reported 10 inches of snow overnight.
The coop observer at Chemult Ranger Station recorded 13.5 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0800 PST.
Spotter KL97 at 4300 feet near Crescent reported 13 inches of snow between 1600 PST on 12/4 and 0830 on 12/5.
The coop observer at Lemolo Lake reported 24 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0900 PST on 12/05/01
The coop observer at Prospect reported 8 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 1600 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: 5274614, 5274615, 5274616, 5274623, 5274624, 5274617, 5274618, 5274619, 5274625, 5274620, 5274621, 5274622.