A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0345 PST on 12/04 and cancelled at 2054 PST on 12/04. The observations listed above were the strongest verifying sustained winds and gusts recorded at each station.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0345 PST on 12/04 and cancelled at 2054 PST on 12/04. The observations listed above were the strongest verifying sustained winds and gusts recorded at each station. Cape Blanco exceeded the warning criteria continuously from 0900 PST until 1700 PST. Gold Beach exceeded warning criteria continuously from 1100 PST until 1500 PST.
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 4, 8:30 AM PST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION... UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR 830 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 .DISCUSSION... SURFACE FRONT JUST OFF THE COAST WILL MOVE INLAND LATE THIS AFTERNOON. SO FAR RADAR JUST PICKING UP MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS SPREADING INTO THE REGION. GRADIENT HAS TIGHTENED UP SOMEWHAT ALONG THE COAST BUT NO HIGH WINDS YET AT THE HEADLANDS. CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS WILL BE LEFT UP FOR THE DAY. WINDS WILL DECREASE TONIGHT TEMPORARILY. HOLTZ && .MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ORZ021-022...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR COASTAL HEADLANDS TODAY OR/CA...GALE WARNING FLORENCE TO PT ST GEORGE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 659 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 PZZ350-353-356-370-373-376-051430- 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- 659 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY GALE WARNING FOR THE NEAR SHORE WATERS FROM CAPE ARGO OREGON TO POINT ST GEORGE CALIFORNIA FOR TODAY. SEE PDXCWFMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ORZ021-022-051430- CURRY COUNTY COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 659 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE SOUTH COASTAL HEADLANDS FOR TODAY. SEE PDXNPWMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG WINDS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SEE PDXSPSMFR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. NO ADDITIONAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. CAZ080>085-ORZ023>031-051430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-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 SISKIYOU COUNTY- WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 659 AM PST THU DEC 4 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 NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 416 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 CAZ080>085-ORZ021>031-042300- 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- 416 AM PST THU DEC 4 2003 ...WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SOUTH OREGON COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND SPREAD INLAND OVERNIGHT... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE OFFSHORE WATERS LATE FRIDAY AND MOVE NORTHEAST TOWARD THE WASHINGTON COAST... RESULTING IN POTENTIALLY STRONG WINDS ALONG THE SOUTH OREGON COAST. THESE WINDS WILL BE ESPECIALLY STRONG NEAR HEADLANDS AND OTHER EXPOSED AREAS. A COLD FRONT TRAILING FROM THE LOW WILL PUSH INLAND OVERNIGHT SPREADING WINDS INTO SOME INLAND AREAS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/MEDFORD FOR UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING SITUATION. BERTEAU
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Blanco recorded a gust to 70 mph.
Cape Blanco recorded a sustained wind of 44 mph.
Gold Beach recorded a gust to 62 mph.
Gold Beach recorded a sustained wind of 41 mph.
Cape Arago recorded a gust to 58 mph.
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: 5327418, 5328930, 5327419, 5327420, 5328929.