A High Wind Warning, effective at the above listed times, was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022. This warning did not verify.
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.
A High Wind Warning, effective at the above listed times, was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022. This warning did not 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 18, 2:57 PM PST, 8 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
257 PM PST THU DEC 18 2003
.DISCUSSION...DIRTY RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN AS DEEP LOW
APPROACHES COAST TOMORROW. MODELS DIVERGE ON SOLUTION AFTER THIS
POINT WITH THE ETA BEING THE MORE PROGRESSIVE FOR THIS FIRST SHOT
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT. THE ETA DEEPENS LOW FOR SYSTEM COMING
IN ON SATURDAY...WITH THE AVN BEING FASTER WITH THIS SYSTEM THROUGH
THE REGION BY NOON SUNDAY. JET ANALYSIS INDICATING THAT A MORE
PROGRESSIVE SOLUTION IS IN ORDER WITH STRONGER WINDS AHEAD OF SYSTEM
THAN DIGGING BEHIND IT. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE GFS SOLUTION FOR
THIS WEEKEND. TIGHTENING GRADIENT AHEAD OF SYSTEM TOMORROW WARRANTS
ISSUANCE OF HIGH WIND WARNING AT THE HEADLANDS...WITH H85 WINDS OF
55KT FROM ABOUT 120 CONTRIBUTING TO BARRIER FLOW. GRADIENT OF 7MB
AND H7 WINDS FROM S AT 60+KT WILL BRING WINDS UP TO ADVISORY LEVELS
IN THE SHASTA VALLEY AND H7 WINDS OF 60-65+KT OVER THE EAST SIDE
AHEAD OF SYSTEM ALSO INDICATING WIND ADVISORY FOR THE EAST SIDE.
FIRST SYSTEM WILL BE RAIN SHADOWED AND QUICK SHOTS AND WILL KEEP
QPF LOW. SECOND SHOT HAS BETTER TROPICAL TAP AT MID LEVELS...
COMBINED WITH STRONG UVV FROM BL CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE. WILL GO WITH HIGH RES AVN QPF FOR THIS SECOND BATCH.
EXTENDED...DRYING STILL IN STORE FOR MONDAY WITH UPPER RIDGE BUILDING
BACK IN. MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY A COLD FRONT TO MOVE INTO COAST WITH
CHANCE OF RAIN FOR THE WEST SIDE CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.
PRECIP CHANCE INCREASING FOR REST OF EXTENDED WITH DEEP LOW FORECAST
IN GULF OF AK SPINNING SYSTEMS INTO THE REGION.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING COAST HEADLANDS FRIDAY
WINDS ADVISORY EAST OF THE CASCADES FRIDAY
GALE WARNING...FLORENCE TO OR/CA BORDER.
CA...WIND ADVISORY SHASTA VALLEY FRIDAY
WIND ADVISORY EAST OF THE CASCADES FRIDAY
GALE WARNING...OR/CA BORDER TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
&&
SVENHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 627 AM PST THU DEC 18 2003 CAZ080>085-ORZ021>031-191430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY COAST- EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON 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-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 613 AM PST WED DEC 17 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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY GALE WARNING EXPECTED FRIDAY FROM CAPE ARGO OREGON TO PT ST GEORGE CALIFORNIA AND TO 60 MILES OFFSHORE. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. GERIG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
See below.
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: 5328662, 5328663.