A Snow Advisory was issued for ORZ021/022/023/024/025/026 above 500 feet at 0302 PST on 01/27 and expired at 0951 PST on 01/27 (ORZ026) and at 2128 PST on 01/28 for ORZ021/022/023. The above reports verified a Heavy Snow Warning, but many other verified the advisory.
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 Snow Advisory was issued for ORZ021/022/023/024/025/026 above 500 feet at 0302 PST on 01/27 and expired at 0951 PST on 01/27 (ORZ026) and at 2128 PST on 01/28 for ORZ021/022/023. No expiration statement was issued for ORZ024/025 which was an error.The above reports verified a Heavy Snow Warning, but many other verified the advisory. Overall, this event was likely best handled with a Snow Advisory.
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 26, 7:30 AM PST, 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 AM PDT SAT JAN 26 2002
UPDATE FOCUSES ON SNOW ADVISORIES. DOUBTFUL THAT ANY SNOW WILL
ACCUMULATE ON THE INLAND LOWER VALLEY FLOORS. HOWEVER...MUCH COLDER
AIR COMING IN AT THIS TIME AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL REACH THE LOWER
VALLEY FLOORS. AREAS JUST ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR COULD SEE
ACCUMULATIONS IN THE HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS. BASED ON SATELLITE LOOP
THE INSTABILITY CUMULUS MOVING ONSHORE IS IMPRESSIVE AND SNOW SHOWERS
SHOULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS TODAY FROM THE CASCADES WEST. ETA
FORECASTS 500 MB TEMPERATURES DOWN TO -33 DEG C THIS AFTERNOON ALONG
WITH SOME SYNOPTIC LIFT.
WILL MAKE FEW CHANGES TO ZONES...JUST TINKERING WITH SNOW AMOUNT AND
TEMPERATURES TODAY. CALLER FROM CRATER LAKE HAD 7 INCHES OF SNOW
SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING. MOUNT SHASTA SKI PARK HAD AROUND 6 INCHES.
BELIEVE THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE COASTAL RANGE WILL GET THE MOST SNOW
FROM THIS SYSTEM THIS WEEKEND...BUT NO ROADS OR PEOPLE IN THIS AREA.
SANDLER
.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
SNOW ADVISORY 1500 FEET TODAY ORZ021/022/023/024/025/026
AND CAZ082 AND BELOW 3000 FEET CAZ080.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
The cooperative observer 4E Selma reported 7 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 0800 PST. It is suspected that this entry was an error and should have been recording on 01/27, as that better matches the recorded liquid equivalent amounts.
Spotter J044 in Williams reported 4.5 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter DO35 in Glendale reported 5.5 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter JO10 5SW Grants Pass at 1020 feet reported 4.25 inches of snow overnight.
The cooperative observer 1WNW Cave Junction reported 8 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 1800 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: 5277601, 5277597, 5277598, 5277599, 5277600.