A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022, effective at the above times. While it was windy this day, 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 was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022, effective at the above times. While it was windy this day, 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 8, 2:25 AM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
225 AM PST MON DEC 8 2003
.DISCUSSION...00Z NGM/ETA/GFS IN.
SHOWERS ARE ENDING OVER THE MEDFORD CWA AT THIS TIME AS A RIDGE
BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST...BRINGING DRIER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER THE
AREA. EXPECT PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH AREAS OF MORNING FOG TODAY.
THE RIDGE WILL BREAK TO THE EAST TONIGHT AND THE NEXT LONG
ANTICIPATED STORM WILL MOVE IN ON ITS HEELS. IT SHOWS UP ON THE
SATELLITE IMAGERY AS A CLASSIC OCCLUDING FRONT...AND THE WARM FRONT
PORTION OF IT WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE MEDFORD CWA TONIGHT.
ONCE IT MOVES THROUGH...WINDS WILL RAMP UP OVER THE FORECAST AREA...
ESPECIALLY ALONG THE COAST.
THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ONSHORE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE NOW VERY
OCCLUDED/VERTICALLY STACKED LOW DRIVING IT MOVES TOWARD THE COAST.
THE ETA MODEL HAS BEEN TRENDING FARTHER SOUTH WITH THE LOCATION OF
THIS LOW...BRINGING IT DOWN TO 40N 130W...AND THAT WOULD MAKE QUITE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE FORECAST FOR THE MEDFORD CWA. IT ADVERTISES MOST
OF THE ENERGY OF THIS SYSTEM GOING INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. WILL GO
WITH THE MORE CONSISTENT GFS SOLUTION...WHICH TRACKS THE LOW DUE EAST
ALONG 42N. NCEP IS GOING WITH THIS ONE AS WELL.
A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE OREGON COASTAL HEADLANDS...AND
THIS STILL LOOKS GOOD AT THIS TIME WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE...
BUT OVERALL THE EVENT DOESNT LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE AS SEVERE AS
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. THE POTENTIAL FOR BOMB FORMATION NEAR THE
MEDFORD CWA IS MUCH LOWER...AND EVEN THE GFS IS TRENDING LOWER WITH
THE WINDS. WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A WARNING WITH THE MORNING
ZONE PACKAGE.
STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AFTER THE FRONT MOVES
ONSHORE AS PRESSURE GRADIENTS REMAIN TIGHT DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF
THE SURFACE LOW. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR ALONG
THE COAST...BUT SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE OVER SISKIYOU COUNTY AS
GRADIENTS TIGHTEN THERE. WINDS WILL DIMINISH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AS
THE LOW MOVES ONSHORE.
AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION GOES...THIS WILL NOT BE A MAJOR EVENT FOR
THE MEDFORD CWA AS MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE TO THE SOUTH OF
THE AREA. EXPECT THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OVER THE MEDFORD CWA WILL
OCCUR ALONG THE COAST AND COASTAL RANGE TUESDAY. THE MAXIMA WILL
SHIFT TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TUESDAY NIGHT AS THE SOUTHERLIES
START CRANKING...SO EXPECT THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION AREA TO SHIFT
TO WESTERN AND CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY AT THAT TIME. AMOUNTS LOOK
LIKE THEY WILL MEET HEAVY SNOW WARNING CRITERIA IN THAT AREA...SO
WILL ISSUE A HEAVY SNOW WATCH THIS MORNING.
EVEN AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES ONSHORE...THE PARENT UPPER TROUGH WILL
RETROGRADE A BIT AS A POTENT SHORT WAVE ZIPPING DOWN THE BACKSIDE OF
THE TROUGH CAUSES IT TO DIG OUT AROUND 130W. THIS LOW WILL MOVE
ONSHORE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND IT WILL PRIMARILY BE A NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA EVENT. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION OVER THE MEDFORD CWA
WILL ONCE AGAIN OCCUR OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY. THAT
LOW WILL LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST THURSDAY AND A FLAT RIDGE WILL
FINALLY MOVE OVER THE MEDFORD CWA THURSDAY NIGHT.
THE BREAK IS SHORT-LIVED THOUGH...THE NEXT SHORT WAVE WILL FLATTEN
THE RIDGE AND STRONG ZONAL FLOW WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA FRIDAY.
THE SURFACE WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ONSHORE FRIDAY AND THE TRAILING
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE IN FRIDAY NIGHT.
STOCKTON
EXTENDED FROM FRIDAY...AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED...RIDGE BREAKS DOWN
AND AREA ENTERS INTO STRONG ZONAL FLOW ON THE GFS. VERY TIGHT H5
GRADIENT OPENS UP OVER AREA ON SATURDAY WITH STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE
PRODUCING COPIOUS QPF OVER AREA. THIS IS HOWEVER A COMPLETE 180 FROM
YESTERDAYS SOLUTION WHICH HAD AREA UNDER WEAK RIDGE AND DRY. ECMWF
HAS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING THROUGH ON THE WEEKEND AND NOT AS
ABUNDANT WITH PRECIPITATION AS THE GFS...BUT WET NONE THE LESS. WILL
GO WITH LOW CHANCE POPS AND WALK IT UP IF THIS SOLUTION PERSISTS.
SVEN
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING...TUESDAY ORZ021/022 HEADLANDS.
GALE WARNING........FLORENCE OR TO OR/CA BORDER.
CA...HEAVY SNOW WATCH....TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING
CAZ080/082 ABOVE 4000 FEET.
GALE WARNING........OR/CA BORDER TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 1100 PM PST SUN DEC 7 2003 ORZ021-022-081430- CURRY COUNTY COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 1100 PM PST SUN DEC 7 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 HIGH WIND WATCH COASTAL HEADLANDS TUESDAY. ORZ030-081430- NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY 1100 PM PST SUN DEC 7 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 HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. JACOBS
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: 5327429, 5327430.