A High Wind Warning was issued for the headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0308 PST on 01/04/03 and expired at 0915 PST on 01/04/03. The above observation verified the warning for ORZ021; winds likely exceeded warning criteria in ORZ022 as well.
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.
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 headlands of Oregon zones ORZ021/022 at 0308 PST on 01/04/03 and expired at 0915 PST on 01/04/03. The above observation verified the warning for ORZ021; winds likely exceeded warning criteria in ORZ022 as well.
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 4, 3:00 AM PST, 6 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
300 AM PST SAT JAN 4 2003
INCOMING TROUGH TAKING ON NEGATIVE TILT AND HELPING TO PRODUCE SOUTH
TO SOUTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE SHASTA AND ROGUE VALLEYS THIS
MORNING. WILL NEED A WARNING FOR THE HEADLANDS FOR EARLY ON WHERE
SOUTH GUSTS TO 50 KTS ARE EXPECTED. POPS WILL BE CATEGORICAL OVER
THE WEST SIDE AS OFFSHORE RAINFALL RATES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED HIGH.
HOWEVER... DOWNSLOPING AND BREEZY CONDITIONS IN THE BEAR CREEK
VALLEY SHOULD KEEP IT FAIRLY DRY HERE UNTIL SOMETIME THIS AFTERNOON.
RAIN WILL SPREAD EAST LATER TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT BUT NOT TOO MUCH.
SNOW LEVELS FAIRLY HIGH EARLY ON (NEAR 9000 FT) WILL LOWER TO 5-6
KFT THIS EVE AND SEVERAL INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CASCADES NEAR
CRATER AND DIAMOND LAKES...BUT NO HEADLINES ARE NEEDED. PASSES
SHOULD REMAIN QUITE FINE AND DANDY FOR DRIVERS. LATER TONIGHT THE
UPPER RIDGE IS STILL PROGGED TO BUILD IN WITH A STRONG INVERSION
DEVELOPING THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR LOTS OF FOG OVER
THE AREA...PERSISTING INTO THE AFTERNOON OVER THE WESTERN VALLEYS.
AN UPPER LOW IS PROGGED BY THE LAST FEW RUNS OF THE GFS TO MOVE
THROUGH NRN CA IN THE LATE WED-EARLY THU TIME FRAME WITH SOME LIGHT
PRECIP. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH CONSIDERING THE STRENGTH OF THE RIDGE...
BUT SOME CHANCES WILL BE MENTIONED THERE PER MODEL CONSISTENCY AND
COORDINATION WITH SRN OFFICES. DRY THEREAFTER THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY
WITH ONGOING NIGHT/MORNING FOG LIKELY WEST. STAVISH
.MFR...HIGH WIND WARNING COASTAL HEADLANDS THIS MORNING.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY COAST.
GALE WARNING FLORENCE OR TO POINT ST. GEORGE CA.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-051430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SAT JAN 04 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING FOR COASTAL HEADLANDS. SEE PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. GALE WARNING FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM FLORENCE OREGON TO POINT SAINT GEORGE CALIFORNIA. SEE PDXCWFMFR FOR DETAILS. HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR SOUTH OREGON COAST. SEE PDXMWSMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. JACOBS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Arago recorded a gust to 64 mph. Sustained winds of 43 mph were recorded at 0820 PST.
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: 5338982.