Oregon, 2003

Flood in Oregon, January 1, 2003

January 1, 2003 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A Flood Warning was issued for the Coquille River at Coquille and the South Fork of the Coquille River at Myrtle Point effective at the above times. The actual warning was issued at 1122 PST on 12/30/02 and extended into the new year.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

A Flood Warning was issued for the Coquille River at Coquille and the South Fork of the Coquille River at Myrtle Point effective at the above times. The actual warning was issued at 1122 PST on 12/30/02 and extended into the new year. The warning was cancelled at 0720 PST on 01/01 for the South Fork and at 1044 PST on 01/01 for the Coquille. This warning verified at both locations. The South Fork of the Coquille river at Myrtle Point exceeded the flood stage of 38.0 feet from 0712 PST on 12/31 until 0333 PST on 1/1/03 PST. The crest of 40.02 feet occurred at 1439 PST on 12/31. The Coquille River exceeded flood stage from 1645 PST on 12/31/20 until 0730 PST on 01/01/03. The crest of 21.11 feet occurred at 1945 PST on 12/31/02.

What forecasters said that day

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 31, 8:47 PM PST, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 8:47 PM PST, 3 hours 13 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
847 PM PST TUE DEC 31 2002

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS BUILDING INTO OUR FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT AND
WILL SHIFT THE JETSTREAM A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE NORTH. HOWEVER THERE
IS STILL PLENTY OF RESIDUAL MOISTURE IN THE AREA AND A FEW
DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA COULD SQUEEZE OUT SOME SHOWERS AT
THE HIGHER TERRAIN. AT THE SURFACE A WARM FRONT WILL PASS TO THE
NORTH. OVERRUNNING FROM THIS WARM FRONT MAY BE ENOUGH TO GIVE SOME
LIGHT RAIN FOR THE COAST AND UMPQUA BASIN ON NEW YEARS DAY.

THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL WEAKEN AND SHIFT EAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
ALLOWING THE NEXT PACIFIC STORM TO BRING RAIN TO SW OREGON AGAIN ON
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. CURRENT PACKAGE COVERS THIS TREND AND NO
UPDATES NEEDED THIS EVENING.

FB

IN THE EXTENDED (AFTERNOON RUN)...MODELS FINALLY COMING INTO
AGREEMENT ON THE WEEKEND WITH PREVIOUS ENSEMBLE-MEAN/ECMWF SOLUTION
DELAYING RIDGING BACK PAST THE BULK OF THE WEEKEND INTO LATE SUNDAY
AND MONDAY...WITH GOOD ENSEMBLE PLOT AND ECMWF AGREEMENT WITH THIS
FEATURE. WILL GO DRY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH AREAS OF MORNING
FOG FOR THE WEST SIDE VALLEYS WITH PRECIP BACK IN FOR TUESDAY. SVEN

.MFR...GALE WARNING....FLORENCE OR TO PT. ST. GEORGE CA.
       FLOOD WARNING...SOUTH COQUILLE RIVER AT MYRTLE POINT.
                       COQUILLE RIVER AT COQUILLE.
                       ROGUE RIVER AT AGNESS.
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 8:17 AM PST, 15 hours 43 minutes before
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-011430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PST TUE DEC 31 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3500 FEET EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY
FOOTHILLS...SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES...SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES
AND SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS...WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY...CENTRAL
SISKIYOU COUNTY AND SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY...NORTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEASTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. FLOOD
WARNING FOR THE COQUILLE RIVER AT MYRTLE POINT...COQUILLE AT COQUILLE
...AND THE ROGUE RIVER AT AGNESS...SEE PDXFLSMFR FOR DETAILS.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO OREGON...SEE PDXCWFMFR
FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

POSSIBLE FLOODING AND HEAVY SNOW FOR INCOMING SYSTEM FOR WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

GERIG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, South Central Oregon Coast

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to 12:25 AM PST
Where
South Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.979, -123.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oregon in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 2003

Sources

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: 5339840.