A Winter Storm Warning was issued for CAZ080/081/082 at 0530 PST on 01/24 and downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1020 PST on 01/25 (CAZ081) and at 1500 PST on 01/25 (CAZ080/082). The above report is the only one that verified a Heavy Snow Warning, and it came in well after the warnings were downgraded.
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 CAZ080/081/082 at 0530 PST on 01/24 and downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1020 PST on 01/25 (CAZ081) and at 1500 PST on 01/25 (CAZ080/082). The above report is the only one that verified a Heavy Snow Warning, and it came in well after the warnings were downgraded. Overall, this event was overforecast and timed too early.
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 Jan 26, 7:30 AM PST, 50 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 AM PDT SAT JAN 26 2002
UPDATE FOCUSES ON SNOW ADVISORIES. DOUBTFUL THAT ANY SNOW WILL
ACCUMULATE ON THE INLAND LOWER VALLEY FLOORS. HOWEVER...MUCH COLDER
AIR COMING IN AT THIS TIME AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL REACH THE LOWER
VALLEY FLOORS. AREAS JUST ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR COULD SEE
ACCUMULATIONS IN THE HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS. BASED ON SATELLITE LOOP
THE INSTABILITY CUMULUS MOVING ONSHORE IS IMPRESSIVE AND SNOW SHOWERS
SHOULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS TODAY FROM THE CASCADES WEST. ETA
FORECASTS 500 MB TEMPERATURES DOWN TO -33 DEG C THIS AFTERNOON ALONG
WITH SOME SYNOPTIC LIFT.
WILL MAKE FEW CHANGES TO ZONES...JUST TINKERING WITH SNOW AMOUNT AND
TEMPERATURES TODAY. CALLER FROM CRATER LAKE HAD 7 INCHES OF SNOW
SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING. MOUNT SHASTA SKI PARK HAD AROUND 6 INCHES.
BELIEVE THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE COASTAL RANGE WILL GET THE MOST SNOW
FROM THIS SYSTEM THIS WEEKEND...BUT NO ROADS OR PEOPLE IN THIS AREA.
SANDLER
.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
SNOW ADVISORY 1500 FEET TODAY ORZ021/022/023/024/025/026
AND CAZ082 AND BELOW 3000 FEET CAZ080.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Mt. Shasta Ski Park at 5500 feet reported 6+ inches of snow overnight.
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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5277596.