The above observations were recorded at altitudes above the warning range, which extends up to 6000 feet. However, it is likely that snow amounts that would verify a warning occurred below 6000 feet.
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.
The above observations were recorded at altitudes above the warning range, which extends up to 6000 feet. However, it is likely that snow amounts that would verify a warning occurred below 6000 feet. A Winter Storm Warning was issued for California zones CAZ080/082 above 4000 feet at 1400 PST on 02/14 and expired at 0500 PST on 02/16.
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 Feb 16, 2:00 PM PST, 4 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 200 PM PST SUN FEB 16 2003 SHOWERS CONTINUE THIS EVENING AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES THROUGH OREGON. MOIST WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY FOR FAIRLY HIGH POPS. ANOTHER SYSTEM DUE IN MONDAY NIGHT HAS PRETTY WEAK DYNAMICS...BUT HIGH POPS CASCADES WESTWARD WITH THIS SYSTEM DUE TO MOIST AIR MASS. LOWER POPS EAST OF THE CASCADES AS WESTERLY FLOW WILL WRING OUT MOST PRECIP ON WEST SIDE. NEXT SYSTEM DUE ON WEDNESDAY HAS BETTER DYNAMICS AND LOOKS LIKE IT WILL HAVE A STRONG ENOUGH COLD FRONT TO WARRANT LIKELY POPS ACROSS SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA. MOIST ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION EACH DAY. LUDWIG .MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-171430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SUN FEB 16 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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZDARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GERIG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Sand Flat at elevation 6750 feet recorded 17 inches of snow in the 24 hours ending at 1800 PST.
Mount Shasta Ski Park at elevation 7600 feet recorded 13 inches of snow in 14 hours ending at 1800 PST.
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, February 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: 5340605, 5340606.