A Winter Storm Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ027/028 at 2100 PST on 01/19. It was later extended to ORZ030 north of Diamond Lake Junction at 2213 PST on 01/19, and to ORZ025 above 3500 feet at 1430 PST on 01/20.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 Oregon zones ORZ027/028 at 2100 PST on 01/19. It was later extended to ORZ030 north of Diamond Lake Junction at 2213 PST on 01/19, and to ORZ025 above 3500 feet at 1430 PST on 01/20. The warnings were cancelled at 1450 PST on 01/21. In addition to this, a Blizzard Warning was issued for Oregon zone ORZ031 at 1245 PST on 01/20 and cancelled at 1330 PST on 01/21. From the above reports, it is evident that ORZ029 should have been included in the warning area, it was covered only by a Snow Advisory. Also, the warning area should have been extended to ORZ026 toward the end of the event when snow levels dropped down to the valley floors on the west side of the Cascades. The Blizzard Warning did not verify, but one station at Summer Lake in the warning area got 5 inches of snow. The High Wind report at Chemult occurred after all warnings were cancelled.
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 Jan 21, 7:30 AM PST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 AM PDT MON JAN 21 2002
MAIN UPDATE WILL BE TO LOWER SNOW LEVELS IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS FOR
THIS AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS INTO TUESDAY. ALSO WILL INCLUDE LOWER
ELEVATIONS OF WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY IN THE SNOW ADVISORY. OTHER
ADVISORIES/WARNINGS LOOK ON TRACK WITH A FOOT OF SNOW REPORTED SO FAR
AT CRATER LAKE, 8 INCHES IN NORTHERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND 5 INCHES AT
CHILOQUIN. ALSO WILL UPDATE WORDING FOR SOUTHWEST OREGON TODAY AS
RAIN/SNOW HAS ALREADY CHANGED TO SHOWERS. SHOWERS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED
BY THUNDERSHOWERS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON IN COOS AND WESTERN DOUGLAS
COUNTIES. WINDY AND SNOWY CONDITIONS FOR THE EAST SIDE AS THE COLD
FRONT MOVES EAST-SOUTHEAST TODAY. SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH TUESDAY.
MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOL CONDITIONS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT EXCEPT A CHANCE OF LIGHT COASTAL SHOWERS. THIS MORNINGS AVN
RUN IS FASTER THAN LAST NIGHTS RUN AND INDICATES THE NEXT STORM
SYSTEM ARRIVING FROM THE NORTHWEST BY THURSDAY NIGHT WITH RAIN AND
SNOW INTO EARLY SATURDAY. DW
.MFR...WINTER STORM WARNING SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES AND SISKIYOUS
ORZ027/028/NORTHERN ORZ030 THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.
WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3000 FEET ORZ025 THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON.
BLIZZARD WARNING CENTRAL LAKE COUNTY ORZ031 THIS AFTERNOON.
WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3000 FEET CAZ080 THROUGH TONIGHT.
SNOW ADVISORY ORZ029/SOUTHERN ORZ030 THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.
SNOW ADVISORY CAZ081/082/083/084 THROUGH TONIGHT.
SNOW ADVISORY ORZ023/024/026 AND CAZ080 BELOW 3000 FEET
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
633 AM PST MON JAN 21 2002
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0631 AM SIXES OR
01/21/02 CURRY SPOTTER CU-07...7 MILES
EAST OF SIXES RIVER
REPORTED 2.10 INCHES OF
RAIN OVER PAST 24 HOURS (7
AM - 7 AM).PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
800 AM PST MON JAN 21 2002
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0631 AM SIXES OR
01/21/02 CURRY SPOTTER CU-07...7 MILES
EAST OF SIXES RIVER
REPORTED 2.10 INCHES OF
RAIN OVER PAST 24 HOURS (7
AM - 7 AM).
0756 AM SCOTTSBURG OR
01/21/02 DOUGLAS SPOTTER DO19 REPORTED
THUNDER WITH MIXED RAIN
AND SNOW. 1.5 INCHES OF
SNOW ON THE GROUND.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
827 AM PST MON JAN 21 2002
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0810 AM OR
01/21/02 JOSEPHINE SPOTTER JO38 BASE OF HAYES
HILL REPORTED 1.20 INCHES
OF RAIN PAST 24 HOURS
ENDING AT 8:30 AM.
0825 AM OR
01/21/02 KLAMATH SPOTTER KL43 2 MILES SW OF
CHILOQUIN REPORTED 5
INCHES OF SNOW OVERNIGHT.PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
847 AM PST MON JAN 21 2002
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0837 AM GOLD BEACH OR
01/21/02 CURRY SPOTTER CU20 IN GOLD BEACH
REPORTED 1.53 INCHES OF
RAIN OVERNIGHT.
0840 AM OR
01/21/02 KLAMATH SPOTTER KL17 ON BLY
MOUNTAIN REPORTED 3 INCHES
OF SNOW OVERNIGHT.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter KL97 in Crescent reported 8 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter KL53 in Keno reported 8 inches of new snow between 0400 PST and 0940 PST.
Spotter KL75 5N Chiloquin reported 6.7 inches of snow 0000 PST through 1100 PST.
Spotter KL43 2SW Chiloquin reported 7.5 inches of snow 0400-1100 PST.
Spotter JA45 reported 4 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter KL97 reported winds 35-45 mph 0700-0900 PST.
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, January 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: 5277585, 5277586, 5277587, 5277588, 5277589, 5277590.