A Winter Storm Warning was issued for California zone CAZ082 above 4500 feet at 2128 PST on 12/23 and expired at 1430 PST on 12/24. Due to the altitude of the warning area, no verifying spotter reports were received, but the above report from Mt.
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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 California zone CAZ082 above 4500 feet at 2128 PST on 12/23 and expired at 1430 PST on 12/24. Due to the altitude of the warning area, no verifying spotter reports were received, but the above report from Mt. Shasta Ski Park indicates that the warning did 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 24, 3:15 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
315 AM PST WED DEC 24 2003
.DISCUSSION...
THE COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY OVER THE CASCADES AND IT WILL DISSIPATE
AS IT TRAVERSES THE EAST SIDE. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS BEHIND THE FRONT
TODAY WITH THE SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4500 FT WHICH IS NEAR THE LEVEL OF
HIGHWAY 140 AT LAKE OF THE WOODS AND SISKIYOU SUMMIT. AN ADDITIONAL
ACCUMULATION OF 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE CASCADES
...SISKIYOUS AND MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY TODAY. AMOUNTS
WILL BE HEAVIEST THIS MORNING AND HEAVIEST NEAR MOUNT SHASTA WITH UP
TO A FOOT OF ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION.
THE SNOW LEVEL WILL DROP THIS EVENING WITH LINGERING SHOWERS
PROVIDING ANOTHER INCH OR TWO OF HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW WHILE THE
SNOW LEVEL DROPS TO AROUND 2500 FEET. A COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL
REMAIN OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON CHRISTMAS WITH SHOWERS MOST
NUMEROUS AT THE COAST AND OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. A SNOW LEVEL NEAR
3000 FEET AND UP TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. SCATTERED
EVENING SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH LESS THAN AN INCH
OF ADDITIONAL SNOW.
A BRIEF BREAK LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING WITH ANOTHER
TROUGH APPROACHING VANCOUVER ISLAND. PERIODS OF LIGHT PRECIP MAINLY
ON THE WEST SIDE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS THE TROUGH REMAINS NORTH OF
OUR REGION BUT DOES PROVIDE A MOIST ONSHORE FLOW WITH A COUPLE OF
WEAK EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES. GFS INDICATES NEXT COLD FRONT OF MODERATE
STRENGTH TO APPROACH ON SUNDAY. A CHANCE OF LINGERING LIGHT SHOWERS
MONDAY FOLLOWED BY A MOIST NORTWEST FLOW WITH NEAR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES TUESDAY BUT A SLIM CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE TO OR/CA BORDER.
SNOW ADVISORY ORZ028 ABV 4500 FT WED.
CA...GALE WARNING OR/CA BORDER TO PT ST GEORGE.
WINTER STORM WARNING CAZ082 ABOVE 4500 FT WED.
WIND ADVISORY CAZ81 SHASTA VALLEY WED MORNING.
SNOW ADVISORY CAZ080 ABV 4500 FT WED.
&&
DWHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST TUE DEC 23 2003 CAZ083>085-ORZ023>031-241430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MODOC COUNTY- CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY-EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN- NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTHEAST KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTY- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES- 630 AM PST TUE DEC 23 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. CAZ081-241430- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST TUE DEC 23 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SHASTA VALLEY THIS MORNING. REFER TO PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ORZ021-022-241430- CURRY COUNTY COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 630 AM PST TUE DEC 23 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS FOR TONIGHT. REFER TO PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATREMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. CAZ080-082-241430- SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST TUE DEC 23 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF WESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. JACOBS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Mt. Shasta Ski Park at 5500 feet reported an estimated 12 inches of new snow in 24 hours ending at 0600 PST on 12/24.
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: 5331936.