A High Wind Warning was issued for the coastal headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 effective at the times listed above, but no verifying observations were recorded.
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 times listed above, but no verifying observations were recorded.
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 Jan 10, 8:30 PM PST, 9 hours 10 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
830 PM PST FRI JAN 10 2003
SHORT WAVE OVER NORTHERN CALIF WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD.
LATEST RADAR SHOWS SHOWER ACTIVITY MAINLY OVER SISKIYOU AND
MODOC COUNTIES BEGINNING TO DECREASE. ATTENTION NOW SHIFTS TO
DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE OFF THE CALIF COAST. STRONG JET HELPING TO
ENHANCE FRONTAL BOUNDARY BETWEEN 130W AND 140W. LATEST IR SATELLITE
IMAGE SHOWS RAPIDLY COOLING TOPS THIS AREA. 00Z GFS MODEL RUN
COMING IN FITS WELL WITH LATEST IMAGERY. THE COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH
THE COAST SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH RAIN DEVELOPING ALONG THE COAST.
NE-SW ORIENTED FRONT WILL TAKE ITS TIME SHIFTING EAST SATURDAY
NIGHT SO EXPECT A HEFTY SHOT OF RAIN FROM THE SOUTH COAST THEN SOUTH
INTO NW CALIF. MESOETA ALSO SHOWS TYPICAL OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT
DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY CALIF LATE SATURDAY. THE
FRONT WILL SHIFT ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY AND BY LATE SUNDAY
AFTERNOON HEAVIEST RAINS WILL HAVE SHIFTED FURTHER SOUTH INTO CENTRAL
CALIF. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL REMAIN ABOVE PASS LEVELS THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT...THEN LOWER TO AROUND PASS LEVEL DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. BY
THAT TIME HEAVIEST PRECIP WILL HAVE SHIFTED FURTHER SOUTH.
.MFR...GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA.
WINTER STORM WATCH ABOVE 5500 FEET CAZ080/082 SATURDAY
NIGHT AND SUNDAY.
HIGH WIND WATCH SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING HEADLANDS
ORZ021-022.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-121430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SAT JAN 11 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY GALE WARNING SOUTHERN OREGON COAST. REFER TO PDXCWFMFR. HIGH WIND WARNING SOUTHERN OREGON COAST REFER TO PDXNPWMFR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR SOUTH, WEST AND CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY IN NORHTERN CALIFORNIA. REFER TO PDXWSWMFR. HESS
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, January 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: 5338985, 5338986.