A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headlands of ORZ021/022 at 0333 PST on 11/20/01 and expired at an unknown time. Unfortunately, Cape Blanco and Cape Arago observations were not saved, so the only verifying observation is listed above.
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 coastal headlands of ORZ021/022 at 0333 PST on 11/20/01 and expired at an unknown time. Unfortunately, Cape Blanco and Cape Arago observations were not saved, so the only verifying observation is listed above.
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 Nov 20, 1:30 PM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 PM PDT TUE NOV 20 2001
...PROGRESSIVELY COLDER STORMS BRING MOUNTAIN SNOW BY THANKSGIVING...
ONE COLD FRONT MOVES ONSHORE THIS EVENING. IR/WV IMAGERY DEPICT THE
NEXT SYSTEM OUT AROUND 40N/160W AND MODELS AGREE IN MOVING IT INTO
THE PACIFIC NW WED NIGHT. THE STRONGER AVN IS PREFERRED OVER THE
WEAKER ETA GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THE JET AND SATELLITE SIGNATURE.
TONIGHT THE COLD FRONT WILL PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
EXITTING THE EASTERN ZONES LATE. THIS EVENING, DIVERGENCE IN THE LFQ
OF A 130+KT UPPER JET IS COINCIDENT WITH THE LOW LEVEL FRONTAL
FORCING. AS A RESULT, MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL MEASURE
RAIN...EVEN EAST OF THE CASCADES. CONSEQUENTLY, POPS WILL BE RAISED
TO LIKELY FOR EAST SIDE COMMUNITIES. WIND ON THE COAST WILL BE ON THE
DECREASE BEHIND THE FRONT, WHILE THE MOUNTAINS INLAND WILL SEE 15-
25KT SW WIND EARLY.
MODELS ARE A LITTLE SLOWER WITH WEDNESDAYS SYSTEM. THE FRONT DOESNT
ARRIVE UNTIL WED NIGHT, SO PRECIP SHOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTERNOON AT
THE COAST AND PERHAPS WED NIGHT INLAND. WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE
FRONT WILL RAISE THE FREEZING LEVEL TO ABOVE 7000 FEET, SO PRECIP
WILL BE RAIN, EVEN OVER THE PASSES. BDRY LAYER WINDS AGAIN APPROACH
HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA FOR THE COAST (50-60KT), SO A HIGH WIND
WATCH MAY HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR EARLY WED NIGHT AT THE HEADLANDS.
COLD ADVECTION DOES ENSUE BY MORNING. BASED ON AVN THERMAL
FIELDS/PROGGED SOUNDINGS SNOW LEVEL WILL FALL TO 4KFT OVER THE CRATER
LAKE AREA BY THANKSGIVING MORNING...WHILE TO THE SOUTH THE BULK OF
THE COOLING OCCURS AFTER DAY BREAK ON THANKSGIVING. SNOW LEVELS NEAR
4000-4500 FEET LOOK GOOD. 850-700MB MEAN W FLOW WILL FAVOR OROGRAHPIC
SNOW SHOWERS AND PERHAPS SEVERAL INCHES ACCUMULATION OVER THE
CASCADES FROM CRATER LAKE NORTHWARD...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS SOUTH.
CONEQEUNTLY AN SPS HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE POTENTIAL OF ACCUMULATING
SNOW ON THE PASSES THANKSGIVING DAY.
EXTENDED...A COOL PERIOD. A BROAD UPPER TROF DIGS INTO THE PACIFIC NW
LATE THIS WEEK PUSHING THE MAIN BELT OF WESTERLIES INTO CALIFORNIA.
IN THE DAILIES...ANOTHER STORM MOVES INTO S BRITISH COLUMBIA ON FRI
SWINGING A COLD FRONT THRU OREGON. THEN THE UPPER LOW/COLD POOL DIG
SOUTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. THIS WILL SUSTAIN LOW SNOW LEVELS AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW/VALLEY RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND. BY
MOM/TUE THE WESTERLIES SHIFT FAR ENOUGH SOUTH THAT MOST OREGON ZONES
MAY BE DRY...BUT REMAIN COOL. N CAL ZONES ARE CLOSER TO THE JET SO
PRECIP CHANCES WILL PERSIST.
WOLF
.MFR...GALE WARNING THIS EVENING FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA.
HEAVY SURF ADVISORY FLORENCE TO PT ST GEORGE.CAZ080>085-ORZ023>031-210600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 1006 AM PST TUE NOV 20 2001 ...MOUNTAIN SNOWS ARRIVING ON THANKSGIVING... A SERIES OF PROGRESSIVELY COLDER PACIFIC STORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN OREGON THIS WEEK. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. AS A RESULT...SOME OF THE MOUNTAIN PASSES IN SOUTHWESTERN OREGON WILL LIKELY SEE THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON ON THANKSGIVING DAY. ADDITIONAL STORM SYSTEMS MAY BRING MORE SNOW OVER THE WEEKEND. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO AROUND 4000 FEET ON THANKSGIVING DAY. ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED IN THE CASCADES...ESPECIALLY FROM CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK NORTHWARD. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. WOLF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter CO-41 at Bandon reported south wind 35 mph gusting to 57 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, November 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: 5273314.