Flood in Oregon, December 16, 2002

Name: Flood in Oregon, December 16, 2002
Start: 2002-12-16T08:13
End: 2002-12-16T12:30
Location: Oregon

December 16, 2002 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A Flood Warning was issued for the North Fork of the Coquille River at Coquille effective at the above times. This warning did not verify as the river approached, but did not exceed flood stage.

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

A Flood Warning was issued for the North Fork of the Coquille River at Coquille effective at the above times. This warning did not verify as the river approached, but did not exceed flood stage.

What forecasters said that day

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 16, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours 13 minutes before

SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
300 AM PST MON DEC 16 2002

STRONG SURFACE FRONT MOVING INLAND EARLY THIS MORNING. FAIRLY
INTENSE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPED JUST OFF THE COAST FROM COOS BAY
BEFORE MIDNIGHT AND HAS NOW MOVED QUICKLY NORTHEAST TO NEAR NEWPORT.
EXPECT HIGH WINDS ALONG THE COAST TO BEGIN DECREASING AND WILL
LIKELY BE ABLE TO END THE HIGH WIND WARNING ALONG THE COAST WITH THE
MORNING FORECAST PACKAGE. WIND ADVISORIES EAST OF THE CASCADES MAY
HAVE TO BE EXTENDED DEPENDING ON TIMING. HEAVY RAINS THAT BEGAN
SUNDAY OVER THE COASTAL BASINS HAVE CAUSED RIVER LEVELS TO RISE
SIGNIFICANTLY. A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH FORK OF
THE COQUILLE R. UPPER LEVEL WAVE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS NORTHERN
CALIF TODAY. HIGH SNOW LEVELS WILL COME DOWN TO NEAR 4K BY
AFTERNOON...BUT HEAVIER PRECIP WILL HAVE ENDED BY
THEN. A COOLER SHOWERY PATTERN WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT
INTO WEDNESDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE NEAR 3K.

EXTENDED...GFS MODEL CONSISTENT BUILDING A RIDGE THURSDAY
MORNING AHEAD OF A CLOSED LOW NEAR 42/135. SURFACE FRONT
APPROACHES FROM THE SW THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH LIGHT RAIN SPREADING
TO THE SOUTH COAST BY EVENING. GFS MODEL TAKES MOST OF THE PRECIP
SOUTH INTO CALIF. THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE CLOSED LOW MOVES
SLOWLY EAST TO THE NW CALIF COAST BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. UPPER FLOW
TURNS NW SAT THRU SUN DRYING THE AIR MASS OUT SOMEWHAT.    HOLTZ

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE
       HIGH SURF ADVISORY COAST
       FLOOD WARNING S FORK COQUILLE R
       FLOOD WATCH COQUILLE R AT AT COQUILLE

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 16, 7:42 AM PST, 31 minutes before

ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-171430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PST MON DEC 16 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA...SEE
PDXCWFMFR. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SOUTH OREGON COAST...SEE
PDXMWSMFR. FLOOD WATCH FOR MAINSTEM COQUILLE RIVER DOWNSTREAM OF
MYRTLE POINT...SEE PDXFFAMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES SEE ABOVE.  POSSIBLE GALE WARNING FOR THE
SOUTH OREGON COAST WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...SEE CWFMFR FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

GERIG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, South Central Oregon Coast

When: December 16, 8:13 AM PST to 12:30 PM PST
Where: South Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.979, -123.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, December 2002

Sources

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: 5326154.