An extraordinary winter storm struck Oregon and Northern California on January 1, 2004. A multitude of warnings and advisories were issued to cover this event.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
An extraordinary winter storm struck Oregon and Northern California on January 1, 2004. A multitude of warnings and advisories were issued to cover this event. The California warnings are summarized below. Verifying observations are listed above.CAZ080 Winter Storm Warning 12/30/03 at 2100 PST until 01/01/04 at 1445 PST. Initial elevation was above 2000 feet, raised to 2500 feet at 2000 PST on 12/31/03.CAZ081 Winter Storm Warning issued at 12/31/03 at 0501 PST, changed to Blizzard Warning at 01/01/04 at 0514 PST, expired at 0958 PST on 01/01/04.CAZ082 Winter Storm Warning issued at 12/31/03 at 2100 PST, changed to a Heavy Snow Warning at 01/01/04 at 0514 PST, expired at 01/01/04 at 0958 PST. Initial elevation was above 2000 feet, raised to 2500 feet at 2000 PST on 12/31/03, expanded to entire zone at 01/01/04 at 0514 PST. CAZ083/084/085 Winter Storm Warning issued at 12/31/03 at 0501 PST, changed to a Blizzard Warning at 01/01/04 at 0807 PST, expired at 01/01/04 at 1445 PST.
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, 8:50 PM PST, 5 hours 55 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
850 PM PST WED DEC 31 2003
.DISCUSSION...
THE NOSE OF A STRONG JET VISIBLE IN THE INFRA RED LOOP HAS REACHED
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. SOME HEAVIER PRECIPITATION HAS JUST BEGUN TO
SHOW UP ON RADAR IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. WIND HAS NOT YET INCREASED
IN THE SHASTA VALLEY BUT WILL LATER TONIGHT AS THE SURFACE LOW
APPROACHES BROOKINGS AND THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TURNS MORE SOUTH AND
INCREASES. THE HEAVIEST SNOW AND RAIN WILL BE FROM ABOUT 300AM
TONIGHT TO NOON OR SO TOMORROW. MOST OF OUR FORECAST AREA HAS A
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT BUT THE HARDEST HIT WILL BE WESTERN
SISKIYOU COUNTY. TOMORROW EVENING THE PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE
TAPERED TO LIGHT SHOWERS WITH VERY LOW SNOW LEVELS. THE WINDS WILL
HAVE ABATED EXCEPT ON THE HIGHEST RIDGES AND MOUNTAIN TOPS WHERE
THEY WILL BE REDUCED TO AROUND 30 MPH. THE WEEKEND WILL BE COLD AND
SHOWERY. ANOTHER STRONG SYSTEM REACHES OUR COAST MONDAY. THIS WILL
BE A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH SLIGHTLY SPARING THE SHASTA VALLEY BUT
HITTING OUR AREA SQUARE ON.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT >1500 SW OR ZONES 021-023-025.
WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH NEW YEARS DAY
>2000 SW OR ZONES 024-026-028-029-030.
WINTER STORM WATCH NEW YEARS DAY 021-023-025 ABOVE 1500
FEET.
CA...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT-THURSDAY CAZ080>085 >2500.
&&
MOHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 645 AM PST WED DEC 31 2003 ORZ021-023>026-011430- CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY-EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 645 AM PST WED DEC 31 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ABOVE 2000 FEET...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ABOVE 2000 FEET...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ORZ029>031-011430- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN- NORTHEAST KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- 645 AM PST WED DEC 31 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON. .DAY ONE...TODAY SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. CAZ080>085-011430- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MODOC COUNTY-CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTY- SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 645 AM PST WED DEC 31 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT...SEE PDXWSWMFR FOR DETAILS. ORZ022-027-028-011430- CURRY COUNTY COAST-SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTH OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES- 645 AM PST WED DEC 31 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ORR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow, 1 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Weed RAWS recorded wind gusts 44-53 mph on nearly every observation in this time interval. This, combined with the heavy snow reported by spotters, indicates that blizzard conditions likely did occur during this time interval.
Spotter SY01 at Black Butte reported 7 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter MO39 at Calpines recorded winds 40g50 mph at 1100 PST.
Spotter SY39 at 4000 feet 5 miles west of Black Butte reported 11 inches of snow.
Spotter SY94 near Weed recorded 12 inches of snow overnight.
Spotter SY100 at Happy Camp recorded 7 inches of snow in 24 hours.
Cooperative observer at Mt. Shasta City reported a record snowfall of 12 inches on 01/01.
The cooperative observer at Greenview recorded a 24 hour snow total of 10 inches ending at 12 noon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2004
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: 5380828, 5380747, 5380825, 5380824, 5380826, 5380827, 5380829, 5380830.