A High Wind Warning was issued for south central Oregon zones ORZ029/030/031 at 2125 PST on 12/13 and expired at 1900 PST on 12/14. The above spotter reports verified the warning.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 south central Oregon zones ORZ029/030/031 at 2125 PST on 12/13 and expired at 1900 PST on 12/14. The above spotter reports verified the warning. No reports were recieved for ORZ030, but it is very likely that winds in that zone met warning critiria.
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 13, 8:22 PM PST, 2 hours 39 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
822 PM PST FRI DEC 13 2002
EVENING UPDATE...COLD FRONT IS MOVING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS
EVENING WITH STRONG SOUTH WINDS REPORTED. HAVE ISSUED WIND ADVISORY
FOR JACKSON COUNTY AND EXPECT WINDS TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
HIGH WIND WARNING ALONG CONTINUES ALONG THE COAST TONIGHT AND WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WIND ADVISORY ALSO CONTINUES FOR THE
SHASTA VALLEY OVERNIGHT.
WILL UPGRADE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR EASTERN OREGON AND PARTS OF NE
CALIFORNIA TO HIGH WIND WARNING. NEW MODEL RUN STILL FORECASTS VERY
WINDY CONDITIONS AND POINTS TOWARD WINDS INCREASING AFTER MIDNIGHT.
ELSEWHERE...NO CHANGES IN THE SNOW LEVEL AND FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS.
FB
.EXTENDED...ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES INTO MONDAY WITH RAIN AND GUSTY
WINDS. HIGH SURF WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO POUND THE COAST WITH 30FT
WAVES. PATTERN CHANGES TOWARD MIDDLE OF THE WEEK FROM STRONG SHORT
WAVES AND JET STREAM TO BRIEF UPR RIDGE AND THEN UPPER LOW BY
THU/FRI. THIS WILL GIVE LIGHTER WINDS AND LESS RAIN. SURF DROPS
BELOW 20FT AS WELL SO A QUIETER WX SITUATION IN STORE BY MID WEEK.
.MFR...HIGH WIND WARNING S OREGON COAST THRU SAT (ORZ021-022).
WIND ADVISORY ROGUE AND SHASTA VALLEYS TONIGHT.
HIGH WIND WARNING KLAMATH AND LAKE COUNTY LATE TONIGHT.
(ORZ029>031).
HIGH WIND WARNING CAZ081-CAZ083>CAZ085 SATURDAY.
WINTER STORM WATCH N CAL ABV 4500FT SAT NGT (CAZ080-082).
GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO PT. ST. GEORGE CA.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY S OREGON COAST (ORZ021-022).ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-141430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST FRI DEC 13 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING COASTAL HEADLANDS...SEE PDXNPWMFR. WINDS ADVISORY SHASTA VALLEY...SEE PDXNPWMFR. GALE WARNING FROM FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA...SEE PDXCWFMFR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY .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.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter LA20 in Summer Lake reported southwest winds 30 gusting to 84 mph.
Klamath Falls ASOS recorded winds 44g54 mph at 0100 PST.
Spotter LA05 at New Pine Creek reported estimated sustained winds of 40 mph with higher gusts.
Spotter LA20 in Summer Lake reported south to southwest winds 60 mph gusting to 84 mph with roofs flying.
The Summit RAWS recorded winds 50 mph gusting to 79 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: 5326241, 5326244, 5326242, 5326243, 5326245.