A High Wind Warning was in effect for the coastal headlands of ORZ021/022 from 10/1225 PST until 10/1645 PST. Warning criteria was met continuously from 07/1825 until 08/2100.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 in effect for the coastal headlands of ORZ021/022 from 10/1225 PST until 10/1645 PST. Warning criteria was met continuously from 07/1825 until 08/2100. The peak sustained winds and peak gust at Cape Blanco are recorded above.
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 10, 2:50 PM PST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
250 PM PST FRI DEC 10 2004
.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWING UPPER RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH
RIDGE AXIS NOW ALIGNED OVER CENTRAL IDAHO ON DOWN INTO EASTERN
NEVADA. WEAK FRONT IS APPROACHING THE OREGON COASTLINE AND
TIGHTENING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT REQUIRED THE ISSUANCE OF A HIGH
WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE
EXTENDED THIS WARNING UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING. FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY
PUSH ONSHORE TONIGHT WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY INITIALLY INCREASING AT
THE COAST AND IN THE UMPQUA REGION. RAIN WILL SPREAD INLAND
OVERNIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY WITH CHANCES OF RAIN COVERING ENTIRE
FORECAST AREA. DURING THE DAY SATURDAY THE FRONT WILL SHEAR APART
WITH A CHUNK OF ENERGY PULLING OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE REMNANTS
OF THE FRONT LAYING OFFSHORE. SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH SATURDAY NIGHT
AND EARLY SUNDAY UNDER WEAK RIDGING BEFORE THE REMNANTS OF THE FRONT
COMES ONSHORE LATE SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT BRINGING INCREASED
SHOWERS. WILL SEE WEAK RIDGING AGAIN MONDAY BEFORE ANOTHER SYSTEM
MOVES THROUGH MAINLY NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY.
THIS LAST SYSTEM WILL RETROGRADE SOMEWHAT AND TAKE A
SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY TRACK THROUGH OREGON WEDNESDAY BRINGING A
SMALLER THREAT OF SHOWERS. A COLDER DRY NORTHEAST FLOW WILL DEVELOP
BEHIND THIS DEPARTING SYSTEM BRINGING A RETURN TO DRY BUT COOLER
CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
REYNOLDS
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS UNTIL 6 PM PST.
GALE WARNING...........FLORENCE OR TO CAPE BLANCO TO 60NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...CAPE BLANCO TO CA/OR BORDER TO 60NM.
FLOOD WARNING..........SOUTH FORK COQUILLE AT MYRTLE POINT.
COQUILLE RIVER AT COQUILLE.
CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...OR/CA BORDER TO PT ST GEORGE CA TO 60NM.
&&
ALSO VISIT THE NWS ON THE WEB AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Recorded at Cape Blanco at 1025 PST.
Recorded at Cape Blanco.
Recorded at Cape Blanco.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 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: 5430877, 5430878, 5430879.