A High Wind Warning was issued for Oregon zones ORZ029/030/031 and California zones CAZ084/085 at 0523 PST on 03/13 and expired at 1517 PST on 03/13. The above observations verified the warning and are the highest recorded at those locations, but both locations are on ridges.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 Oregon zones ORZ029/030/031 and California zones CAZ084/085 at 0523 PST on 03/13 and expired at 1517 PST on 03/13. The above observations verified the warning and are the highest recorded at those locations, but both locations are on ridges. The highest winds were also recorded before the warning went into effect, although verifying winds also occurred while it was. Warning verifying winds likely did not occur in the valleys.
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 Mar 12, 8:30 PM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
830 PM PST WED MAR 12 2003
SW-NE ORIENTED FRONT OFF THE COAST WILL MAKE VERY LITTLE EASTWARD
PROGRESS OVERNIGHT AS A SERIES OF WAVES MOVE ALONG THE FRONT. FIRST
WAVE EARLIER TODAY MAINLY IMPACTED NW OREGON WITH JUST VERY LIGHT
AMOUNTS ALONG OUR COAST. EVENING MODEL RUN COMING IN SHOWS MAIN
RAIN BAND REMAINING NEAR OR JUST OFF THE COAST OVERNIGHT. WILL UPDATE
ZONES FOR LOWER POPS MANY INLAND LOCATIONS. PRESSURE GRADIENTS
NEAR THE SURFACE AND ALOFT HAVE INCREASED THIS EVENING ACROSS
MUCH OF THE FORECAST REGION. THERE MAY VERY WELL BE A TEMPORARY
DECREASE IN WIND SPEEDS LATE TONIGHT BUT EXPECT THEM TO
INCREASE AGAIN THURSDAY MORNING AS FRONT MOVES CLOSER TO
THE COAST. THE FRONT WILL FINALLY MOVE ONSHORE THURSDAY MORNING
WITH RAIN SPREADING INLAND TO THE CASCADES BY MIDDAY...AND EAST OF
THE CASCADES THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FOCUS OF HEAVIER RAINS
WILL SHIFT SOUTH INTO NORTHERN CALIF THURSDAY NIGHT. NEXT FRONT
WILL APPROACH THE COAST FRIDAY NIGHT AND MOVE INLAND SATURDAY
ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER ROUND OF WIND AND RAIN. HOLTZ
.MFR...HIGH WIND WARNING...OREGON ZONES ORZ021/022 THROUGH THURSDAY.
HIGH WIND WARNING...CALIFORNIA ZONE 81 SHASTA VALLEY THURSDAY.
WIND ADVISORY.......ROGUE VALLEY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY.
WIND ADVISORY.......ZONES ORZ029/030/031/CAZ084/085 FOR
THURSDAY.
STORM WARNING.......POINT ST. GEORGE CA TO FLORENCE OR.ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-131430- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST WED MAR 12 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST. GALE WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS INCREASING TO A STORM WARNING TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST THURSDAY. STORM WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY LOWERING TO A GALE WARNING THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON. SEE PDXCWFMFR PDXMWSMFR AND PDXNPWMFR FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GLASER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Calimus RAWS recorded sustained winds of 40 mph during this two hour stretch.
Calimus RAWS recorded a gust to 70 mph.
Summit RAWS recorded sustained winds of 43 mph during this stretch.
Summit RAWS recorded a gust to 72 mph.
Calimus RAWS recorded a gust to 61 mph.
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, March 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: 5344897, 5344898, 5346902, 5346903, 5346901.