A High Wind Warning was issued for zone CAZ081 effective at the above times, but no verifying observations were saved. It is not known for certain if this warning verified or not.
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 zone CAZ081 effective at the above times, but no verifying observations were saved. It is not known for certain if this warning verified or not.
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 26, 2:56 PM PST, 7 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
256 PM PST THU DEC 26 2002
THE DEVELOPING LOW OFF THE COAST IS WEAKER THAN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS
HAVE SUGGESTED. HOWEVER...SIGNIFICANT WAA AND JET DYNAMICS WILL
COMBINE TO PRODUCE HEAVY PRECIPITATION CENTERED IN NORTHERN CA. THIS
SYSTEM IS QUITE WARM...THEREFORE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIMITED
TO AFTER THE SNOW LEVELS BEGIN TO DROP BEHIND THE FRONT. A WINTER
STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY
AND MOUNT SHASTA FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE STORM BEGINS TO DEPART TO
THE SOUTH. WINDS HAVE BEGUN TO PICK UP THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE SW OR
COAST AND INTO THE SHASTA VALLEY PROMPTING HIGH WIND WARNINGS IN
THESE AREAS. SNOW LEVELS WILL BEGIN TO RISE TO OVER 6000 FEET ACROSS
THE CWA BEFORE DROPPING LATER TOMORROW. ANOTHER WAVE ALONG THE TROUGH
WILL AFFECT THE REGION LATE SATURDAY.
BERTEAU
.MFR...WINTER STORM WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT FOR CAZ080 AND CAZ082.
HIGH WIND WARNING TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY FOR CAZ081 (WEED).
HIGH WIND WARNING COAST TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY.
GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-271430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST THU DEC 26 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL HEADLANDS. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. GALE WARNING FOR SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS. REFER TO PDXCWFMFR. WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN SHASTA VALLEY. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HIGH WIND WATCH FRIDAY. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. WINTER STORM WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. GAIL WARNING FRIDAY. REFER TO PDXCWFMFR. HESS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2002
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: 5326480.