A High Wind Warning was issued for the Southern Oregon coastal headlands (ORZ021/022) at 0440 PST on 12/13 and extended to all coastal areas at 0322 PST on 12/15. It was cancelled at 0433 PST on 12/16.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 Southern Oregon coastal headlands (ORZ021/022) at 0440 PST on 12/13 and extended to all coastal areas at 0322 PST on 12/15. It was cancelled at 0433 PST on 12/16. The above reports verified the warning but also indicated that the high winds were occurring along the entire coast during the entire event, not just the headlands.
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 12, 8:40 PM PST, 5 hours 14 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
840 PM PST THU DEC 12 2002
THE CURRENT FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK. THE WINDS IN THE PAST
FEW HOURS HAV GREATLY DECREASED TO AROUND 25 MPH WHICH IS ABOUT
HALF THE SPEED THEY HAD EARLIER. SO THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR
THE COAST WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 900 PM. THE WIND IN THE
WEED AREA CONTINUES TO GUST TO AROUND 40 MPH SO THE WIND ADVISORY
WILL CONTINUE THERE FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING. WINDS REMAIN
BRISK EAST OF THE CASCADES SO THE WIND ADVISORY FOR SUMMER LAKE
AND CHRISTMAS VALLEY AREA WILL BE CONTINUED UNTIL LATE TONIGHT. THE
WIND IN THE ROGUE VALLEY HAS DIMINISHED TO ABOUT 10 MPH SO THE WIND
ADVISORY THERE WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 900 PM. SO FAR RAINFALL
AMOUNTS IN THE COAST RANGE ARE IN THE 1/2 TO 1 INCH RANGE. THESE
RAINS WILL DIMINISH DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS TO LIGHT RAIN FOR THE
REST OF THE NIGHT.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON ANOTHER VERY WINDY FRONT REACHES THE COAST SO A
HIGH WIND WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THAT REGION. SATURDAY AND
AGAIN SUNDAY TWO MORE QUICK MOVING AND VERY WINDY FRONTS ARRIVE.
LATE ON MONDAY LOOKS LIKE WE GET A BREAK AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS
OVER THE AREA. FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK THE MAIN STORM SYSTEMS
TRACK FURTHER SOUTH INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. MO
.MFR...WIND ADVISORY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT ORZ031-CAZ081.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ABOVE 5000 FT TNGT ORZ027
GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO PT. ST. GEORGE CA.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY SOUTH OREGON COAST.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-131430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST THU DEC 12 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY SOUTH OREGON COAST...EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND LAKE COUNTY OF OREGON...EASTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY AND MODOC COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA...SEE PDXNPWMFR. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CASCADES AND SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000 FT...SEE PDXWSWMFR. TONIGHT. WINTERSTORM WARNING ABOVE 5500 FEET FOR WESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA...SEE PDXWSWMFR. GALE WARNING FROM FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA...SEE PDXCWFMFR. HIGH SURF ADVISORY SOUTH OREGON COAST...SEE PDXMWSMFR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HIGH WIND WARNING FRIDAY SOUTH OREGON COAST...EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND LAKE COUNTY OF OREGON...EASTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY AND MODOC COUNTY OF CALIFORNIA...SEE PDXNPWMFR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... 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.
17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter CU39 in Gold Beach reported wind gusts to 64 mph.
Spotter CO41 in Bandon reported wind gusts to 75 mph.
Spotter CU31 reported wind gusts to 72 mph.
Spotter CU41 at Pistol River reported wind gusts to 81 mph.
Cape Arago recorded a peak gust of 66 mph.
Spotter CU30, 3 miles up the Rogue River, reported south winds 40 mph gusting to 65 mph.
Spotter CU25 at Gold Beach reported winds gusting to 71 mph.
Cape Arago recorded a peak gust of 44 mph.
Spotter CO41 in Bandon reported a gust to 60 mph.
Cape Blanco recorded 80 mph sustained winds.
Cape Blanco recorded a 92 mph peak gust.
Gold Beach recorded a sustained wind of 60 mph.
Gold Beach recorded a peak wind of 97 mph.
Spotter CU39 in Gold Beach reported a wind gust to 58 mph.
Spotter CU31 reported a wind gust to 71 mph.
Spotter CU33 5 miles north of Gold Beach reported estimated gusts to 70 mph.
Cape Arago recorded a peak gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 5326163, 5326164, 5326165, 5326166, 5326238, 5326167, 5326168, 5326239, 5326169, 5326173, 5326174, 5326175, 5326237, 5326170, 5326171, 5326172, 5326240.