A High Wind Warning was issued for California zone CAZ081 effective at the above times. This warning did not verify and was downgraded to a Wind Advisory at 1600 PST on 12/13.
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.
A High Wind Warning was issued for California zone CAZ081 effective at the above times. This warning did not verify and was downgraded to a Wind Advisory at 1600 PST on 12/13.
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 13, 2:50 AM PST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
250 AM PST SAT DEC 13 2003
.DISCUSSION...
ZONAL FLOW WITH 100+ KT JETSTREAM ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL
BRING PLENTY OF RAIN WEST OF THE CASCADES THROUGH TONIGHT. WITH THIS
IN MIND A FLOOD WATCH WAS ISSUED AND WILL CONTINUE TODAY. STRONG
COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING INLAND THS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL INCREASE
ALONG THE COAST AND AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. HAVE UPGRADED THE HIGH
WIND WATCH TO WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS AND THE SHASTA
VALLEY AS WINDS AT 700MB EXCEEDS 50 KTS AND STRONG GRADIENTS TO
EXIST BETWEEN REDDING AND MEDFORD. WILL ALSO ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY
FOR EAST OF THE CASCADES. SNOW LEVEL IS CURRENTLY AROUND 4500 FEET
AND WILL RISSE SLOWLY TODAY AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. HOWEVER..WITH
FRONT SLOWLY MOVING INLAND..SNOW LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO LOWER TO 3000
FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING WITH ADVISORY LEVEL SNOW AT THE HIGHER
ELEVATION OF WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY.
ON SUNDAY..THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO NEVADA AND CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA WITH PRECIPITATION ENDING AT MOST LOCATIONS BY SUNDAY
AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO SOUTHERN OREGON SUNDAY NIGHT
WITH POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD FOG WHICH MAY BE LOCALLY DENSE.
EXTENDED...NEXT FRONT APPROACHES THE COAST MONDAY NIGHT AND WILL
KEEP OUR FORECAST AREA WET THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...FLORENCE OR TO OR/CA BORDER.
HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR HEADLANDS OF
ORZ021>022.
WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING ORZ029>031.
FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND SUNDAY FOR ORZ021>026.
SNOW ADVISORY TODAY ORZ027 AND ORZ030.
CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...OR/CA BORDER TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR SHASTA VALLEY
OF
CAZ081.
WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING CAZ084-085.
FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND SUNDAY FOR CAZ080.
SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT 080-082-083.
&&
FBHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 1234 PM PST FRI DEC 12 2003 PZZ350-353-356-370-373-376-131430- CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR 20 TO 60 NM- CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR 20 TO 60 NM- CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR 20 TO 60 NM- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- 1234 PM PST FRI DEC 12 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GALE WARNING IS EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY. SEE THE PDXCWFMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. CAZ080>082-ORZ021>026-131430- CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY-CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY COAST- EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 1234 PM PST FRI DEC 12 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SEE PDXFFAMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AT THIS TIME. CAZ083>085-ORZ027>031-131430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN-MODOC COUNTY- NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTIES- NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES- 1234 PM PST FRI DEC 12 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GERIG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OREGON
1119 PM PST FRI DEC 12 2003
TIME(PST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0522 AM KENO OR HEAVY SNOW
12/12/03 KLAMATH KL53 IN KENO REPORTS ABOUT
4 INCHES OF SNOW ON
GROUND. AT 500 AM
0700 AM CRESCENT OR
12/12/03 KLAMATH SPOTTER KL97 REPORTED 3
INCHES NEW SNOW PAST 14
HOURS ENDING AT 7AM.
0800 AM BROOKINGS OR
12/12/03 CURRY COOP OBSERVER REPORTED
2.20 INCHES OF RAIN IN
PAST 24 HRS ENDING AT 8AM.
0800 AM BROOKINGS OR
12/12/03 CURRY SPOTTER CU13 AT CAPE
FERRELO REPORTED 24 HR
RAINFALL TOTAL OF 2.52
INCHES ENDING 8AM THIS
MORNING
0830 AM BLACK BUTTE CA
12/12/03 SISKIYOU SPOTTER SY68 2 MILES
SOUTHWEST REPORTED HEAVY
SNOW AND 33 DEGREES AT
3750 FEET.
1000 AM BROOKINGS OR
12/12/03 CURRY SPOTTER CU03 REPORTED 1.97
INCHES RAIN FROM 10 PM
THURSDAY TO 10 AM FRIDAY.
0932 PM GOLD BEACH OR
12/12/03 CURRY 2.06 INCHES IN 12 HOURS
ENDING 8PM AT CAPE FERRELO
0934 PM GOLD BEACH OR
12/12/03 CURRY 1.05 INCHES IN 12 HOURS
ENDING AT 8PM 5N OF GOLD
BEACHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2003
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: 5327437.