Flooding in Oregon, January 2 to 3, 2003

Name: Flooding in Oregon, January 2 to 3, 2003
Start: 2003-01-02T16:03
End: 2003-01-03T04:40
Location: Oregon

January 2 to 3, 2003 · NWS MFR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An Urban/Small Stream Flood Warning was issued for eastern Coos county and Douglas county effective at the above times. Heavy rain did occur, but no reports of flooding problems were recieved.

Where it happened

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.

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: 2

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.

An Urban/Small Stream Flood Warning was issued for eastern Coos county and Douglas county effective at the above times. Heavy rain did occur, but no reports of flooding problems were recieved. So, this warning did not verify.

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 Jan 2, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 2:30 PM PST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 PM PST THU JAN 2 2003

SURFACE FRONT STRETCHES FROM THE NORTH OREGON COAST THEN SW TO OFF
THE NORTH CALIF COAST. LATEST RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW A
STATIONARY BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN EXTENDING FROM THE SOUTH
COAST THEN NE INTO JOSEPHINE AND WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY. SATELLITE
SHOWS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE NEAR 42/135. AS THIS WAVE MOVES NE ALONG
THE BACKSIDE OF THE FRONT RAIN WILL INCREASE ALONG THE COAST
AND INLAND OVER THE COAST RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE
SURFACE FRONT WILL FINALLY BEGIN TO SHIFT INLAND ACROSS THE REGION
OVERNIGHT AS THE WAVE HEADS TOWARDS NW WASHINGTON. SNOW LEVELS WILL
REMAIN HIGH SO NO SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS EXPECTED AT PASS LEVELS
OVERNIGHT. WINDS ALONG THE COASTAL HEADLANDS WILL CONTINUE STRONG
THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT...BUT WILL KEEP JUST BELOW HIGH WIND WARNING
CRITERIA. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WILL ALSO KEEP
WINDS JUST BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE SHASTA VALLEY TONIGHT.
PRECIP WILL DECREASE SOMEWHAT FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...THEN ANOTHER
SYSTEM WILL MOVE INLAND SATURDAY. THE JET STREAM WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT
FURTHER NORTH LATER SUNDAY ALLOWING A DRIER AIR MASS TO SPREAD INTO
OUR REGION. WITH CLEARING SKIES THIS TIME OF YEAR COMES VALLEY FOG...
AND THIS MAY BECOME A PROBLEM BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  HOLTZ

EXTENDED...RIDGING WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EXTENDED PERIOD...KEEPING
THE JET STREAM AND THE STORM TRACK TO THE NORTH OF THE MEDFORD
FORECAST AREA.  ON WEDNESDAY THE UPSTREAM TROUGH WILL SHEAR AND THE
DEVELOPING CUTOFF LOW WILL MOVE THROUGH JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE
FORECAST AREA.  THIS WILL BRING A CHANCE/SLIGHT CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.  RIDGING RETURNS
THEREAFTER...SO THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD THROUGH
THURSDAY WILL BE DRY.  STOCKTON

.MFR...GALE WARNING...FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.
       HIGH SURF ADVISORY...FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 2, 6:30 AM PST, 9 hours 33 minutes before

ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-031430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PST THU JAN 02 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

GALE WARNING FOR FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO OREGON...SEE PDXCWFMFR.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SOUTH AND SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST...SEE
PDXMWSMFR FOR DETAILS.  HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE HEADLANDS OF SOUTH
AND SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST...SEE PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

POSSIBLE HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

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

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Coos

When: January 2, 4:03 PM PST to January 3, 4:40 AM PST
Where: Coos County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.185, -124.093 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Flood, Douglas

When: January 2, 4:03 PM PST to January 3, 4:40 AM PST
Where: Douglas County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.285, -123.179 (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

Every storm in Oregon in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5339842, 5339843.