A Winter Storm Warning was issued for the above zones at the above times. It was downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1525 PST on 12/27.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 the above zones at the above times. It was downgraded to a Snow Advisory at 1525 PST on 12/27. This warning did not verify.
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 27, 3:15 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
315 AM PST FRI DEC 27 2002
IT WILL REMAIN VERY WINDY AT THE COAST AND NEAR WEED AND ALSO QUITE
WINDY ON THE EAST SIDE THIS MORNING BUT THEN WINDS WILL DIMINISH
BY EARLY AFTERNOON.
A LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR POPULATED AREAS AND MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL HAVE
A RAINY DAY AS A COLD FRONT AT THE COAST MOVES INLAND. HOWEVER...
PREVIOUS FORECAST WAS SLIGHTLY TOO OPTIMISTIC WITH WARMING AND HIGH
SNOW LEVELS. THEY ARE NEAR 6500 FEET AND WILL FALL TO 5000 TO
55OO FEET TODAY WHICH MEANS SNOW ADVISORIES AND WINTER STORM WARNINGS
ARE NEEDED FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TODAY WITH CRATER LAKE AND
MT. SHASTA LIKELY TO RECEIVE ABOUT A FOOT OF NEW SNOW AND UP TO 6
INCHES AT THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE EAST SIDE.
THE FRONT WILL STALL OVER OUR REGION TONIGHT AND A WAVE WILL FORM ON
THE FRONT AS A SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY NEAR 40N 142W INVIGORATES THE
FRONT. SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5000 FEET WILL FALL TO 4500 FEET BY
SATURDAY MORNING. CONTINUED PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN SATURDAY WITH
SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO 3500 FEET AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES TO THE
COAST. A TRANSITION TO SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT WITH SNOW LEVELS
DROPPING TO 2500 FEET.
SHORTWAVE RIDGING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY WITH ONLY A FEW
MEAGER SHOWERS AT THE COAST AND HIGHER TERRAIN. YET ANOTHER
WARM FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WITH WET
WEATHER CONTINUING THROUGH TUESDAY. A DIRTY RIDGE WEDNESDAY WITH
LIGHT OVERRUNNING SHOWERS THEN PATTERN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH
VERY WET CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. DW
.MFR...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT ORZ027>028 AND
CAZ080-082>83 ABOVE 5500 FEET.
SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT ORZ029>031 AND CAZ081-084>085
ABOVE 5500 FEET.
HIGH WIND WARNING THIS MORNING FOR CAZ081(WEED).
HIGH WIND WARNING COAST THIS MORNING.
GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY TODAY NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-271430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST THU DEC 26 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL HEADLANDS. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. GALE WARNING FOR SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS. REFER TO PDXCWFMFR. WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN SHASTA VALLEY. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HIGH WIND WATCH FRIDAY. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. WINTER STORM WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. GAIL WARNING FRIDAY. REFER TO PDXCWFMFR. HESS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
See below.
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: 5326613, 5326719.