A Winter Storm Warning was issued for California zones CAZ080/082/083 at 0615 PST on 12/27. CAZ083 was downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1525 PST on 12/27.
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 Winter Storm Warning was issued for California zones CAZ080/082/083 at 0615 PST on 12/27. CAZ083 was downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1525 PST on 12/27. The warning remained in effect for CAZ080/082 until 0345 PST on 12/29. Initially, the warning was for terrain above 5500 feet. It was lowered to 2500 feet at 2100 PST on 12/27, raised to 3000 feet at 0415 PST on 12/28, and raised to 3500 feet at 1550 PST on 12/28. The observation above was the only verifying observation.
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 28, 9:00 PM PST, 3 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
900 PM PST SAT DEC 28 2002
AS THE CLOSED LOW MOVES INTO THE COAST JUST SOUTH OF EUREKA
DYNAMICS ARE WEAKENING. THE JET WINDS HAVE BEEN HALVED AND
THE OROGRAPHIC 850MB FLOW IS TURNING TO THE UNFAVORABLE SE
FLOW FOR WESTERN SISKIYOU. EAST OF THE SISKIYOUS THIS WILL
PROVIDE UPSLOPE FLOW SO THE WEATHER ADVISORIES LOOK GOOD FOR
THE REST OF TONIGHT. THE AVN IS BRINGING THE LOW TOO FAR NORTH
BUT EVEN SO SHOWS THE QPF BECOMING MUCH LIGHTER. THE COLDER
AIR NOW MOVING IN. SHASTA HAS FINIALLY COOLED ENOUGH THAT SNOW
HAS BEGUN. WILL CONTINUE THE WARNING AND ADVISORY FOR 80 AND 82
BUT ANY CHANCE OF HEAVIER SNOW WILL LIKELY END ABOUT MIDNIGHT.
THE COLDER AIR WILL BRING SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO NEAR 2000 FEET
OVER THE VALLEYS OF SW OREGON IN LINE WITH THE SNOW ADVISORY.
SUNDAY WILL HAVE A BREAK AS A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDS IN. SUNDAY
NIGHT THE NEXT SYSTEM BRINGS STRONG WINDS TO THE COAST SO
WILL ISSUE A WATCH FOR THE HEADLANDS. THE COMBINATION OF OROGRAPHICS
AND A 90KNOT JET WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN TO THE SW OR COASTAL
MOUNTAINS MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING. FAST WESTERLY FLOW BRINGS
ANOTHER SYSTEM WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. FRIDAY LOOKS WET AS WELL
DUE TO THE JET WITH SHOWERS TAPERING OFF ON SATURDAY AS THE
RIDGE BUILDS.
MO
.MFR...WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3500 FT TONIGHT CAZ080-082.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT
ORZ027-028-CAZ081-CAZ083-084 ORZ029>031 ABOVE 5000 FT...
CAZ085 ABOVE 5500 FT...CAZ-080-082 BELOW
3500 FT...AND LATE TONIGHT ORZ024-026 ABOVE 2000 FT.
FLOOD WARNING TONIGHT ORZ022-024.
HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE HEADLANDS ORZ021-022 SUNDAY
NIGHT.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-291430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SAT DEC 28 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER STORM WARNING WESTERN SISKIYOU AND CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. SNOW ADVISORY SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES...SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES AND SISKIYOUS...KLAMATH AND LAKE COUNTY OF OREGON...CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY...CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY...NORTHEAST SISKIYOU AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTY...AND MODOC COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA SEE PDXWSWMFR DETAILS. SMALL STREAM FLOOD WARNING FOR JACKSON...JOSEPHINE AND...CURRY COUNTY OF OREGON...WESTERN AND SOUTHCENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA SEE PDXFLWMFR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ORR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl reported a 24 hour snow total of 19 inches.
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: 5326728.