No High Wind Warning was issued for the above event, but this was the only verifying observation, so a warning was likely not necessary as the winds did not meet criteria for more than 1 hour.
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.
No High Wind Warning was issued for the above event, but this was the only verifying observation, so a warning was likely not necessary as the winds did not meet criteria for more than 1 hour.
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 21, 2:31 PM PST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 230 AM PST SAT DEC 21 2002 CURRENTLY A FEW SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS THE WEST SIDE. SHOWERS TONIGHT WILL BE VERY LIGHT AND MAINLY AT THE COAST AND OVER THE CASCADES BUT WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE OF A SHOWER FOR WEST SIDE VALLEYS AND SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THE EAST SIDE. HAVE ADDED SOME WEST SIDE VALLEY FOG FOR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WITH THE AIR MASS BEGINNING TO STABILIZE AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDS TO THE COAST AND PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE SUNDAY FORECAST LOOKS FINE AND DRY WITH GRADUALLY DECREASING CLOUDINESS AS THE BAND OF CLOUDS NEAR 135W DISSIPATES AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. IT WILL BE RELATIVELY CHILLY SUNDAY NIGHT AND STABILITY WILL BE INCREASING WHICH WILL CREATE AREAS OF VALLEY FOG SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. VALLEYS ON MONDAY AFTERNOON SHOULD JOIN THE REST OF THE REGION UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. HAVE INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN THE GFS SOLUTION AS IT JOINS THE EURO AND CANADIAN MODELS IN SHOWING A MOIST YET SPLIT PATTERN. CHANCE OF RAIN TUESDAY EXCEPT LIKELY AT THE COAST AS A WEAKENING COLD FRONT MOVES EAST ACROSS OUR AREA. CHRISTMAS FORECAST LOOKS WET AND BREEZY WITH CURRENT TIMING INDICATING A WARM FRONTAL PASSAGE IN THE AFTERNOON WITH SNOW LEVEL 3500 FEET RISING TO AT OR JUST ABOVE PASS LEVEL OF 4500 FEET BEFORE THE TRAILING COLD FRONT DROPS SNOW LEVELS AGAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THURSDAY ALSO LOOKS WET WITH SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN WESTERLY FLOW. MORE UNCERTAINTY ASSOCIATED WITH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FORECAST. WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE OF SHOWERS FRIDAY WITH GRADUAL RIDGING INTO SATURDAY FOR A DRYING TREND. DW .MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-221430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SAT DEC 21 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. JACOBS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Arago recorded a sustained wind of 44 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: 5326460.