A Small Stream Flood Advisory was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022/023/024/025 at 0930 PST on 12/13 and expired at 0840 PST on 12/14. The above reports verified the warning.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 Small Stream Flood Advisory was issued for Oregon zones ORZ021/022/023/024/025 at 0930 PST on 12/13 and expired at 0840 PST on 12/14. The above reports verified the warning. In addition, two creeks in zone ORZ023 (Elk and Deer) exceeded flood stage during this event.
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, 4 hours 51 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 630 AM PST SAT DEC 13 2003 CAZ081-ORZ021-022-131430- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY COAST- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 630 AM PST SAT DEC 13 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS AND SHASTA VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SEE PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. CAZ080-083-ORZ027-131430- NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES-WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST SAT DEC 13 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY SNOW ADVISORY FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. CAZ085-ORZ030-031-131430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-MODOC COUNTY- NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- 630 AM PST SAT DEC 13 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEE PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. CAZ082-084-ORZ023>026-028-029-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-CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY- EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTIES- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR 20 TO 60 NM- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST SAT DEC 13 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...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HESS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter CO58 reported flooding on Brumitt Creek and the East Fork of the Coquille River. Sitkum Road was underwater at MP 26 and washed out at MP 25.
Spotter CU41 reported Clear Creek and Pistol River were running over adjacent roads.
Spotter CO87 reported Daniels Creek 50 feet out of its banks.
Cooperative Observer reported the Elk River was running above the gage. Estimated stage was 14.0 to 14.5 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, 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: 5328533, 5328534, 5328535, 5328536.