A High Wind Warning was issued for this event at 0330 PST on 12/25, effective from 1 PM until 9 PM on 12/25. The winds increased earlier than expected, but the warning did verify.
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.
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 this event at 0330 PST on 12/25, effective from 1 PM until 9 PM on 12/25. The winds increased earlier than expected, but the warning did verify. The warning was cancelled at 2055 PST on 12/25.
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 25, 2:50 AM PST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
250 AM PST SAT DEC 25 2004
.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWING HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH INCOMING TROUGH
BEGINNING TO SPREAD ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE FORECAST AREA
(FA) AND WILL SEE CLOUDS CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
SHOWERS WILL BEGIN AROUND MIDDAY OVER THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE FA
AND SLOWLY SPREAD SOUTH AND EASTWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS
COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE COAST. IN COORDINATION WITH MARINE
DESK...HAVE OPTED FOR A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS
THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING BEFORE FRONT MAKES LANDFALL. COLD AIR
ASSOCIATED WITH INCOMING FRONT WILL DRAMATICALLY LOWER SNOW LEVELS
OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY. WINTER STORM WATCH ISSUED DURING THE DAY
FRIDAY WILL BE UPGRADED TO WARNING/ADVISORY FOR MANY OF THE WESTERN
ZONES WHILE WATCH WILL BE CANCELLED FOR AREAS EAST OF THE CASCADES.
UPPER TROUGH WILL DIG TO THE SOUTH OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC SUNDAY
AS COLD FRONT PUSHES OFF TO THE EAST OF THE AREA. UPSLOPE FLOW WILL
CONTINUE APPRECIABLE SNOWFALLS OVER CA ZONE 082 AND WILL HOLD ONTO A
HEAVY SNOW WARNING THERE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. UPPER LOW WILL
CONTINUE SOUTHWARD MONDAY WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY ENDING OVER THE
SOUTHERN ZONES. TUESDAY STILL LOOKING LIKE A DRY TRANSITION DAY
BETWEEN SYSTEMS AS ANOTHER TROUGH IS POISED TO AFFECT THE AREA
BEGINNING WEDNESDAY WHICH WILL BRING UNSETLLED WEATHER THROUGH THE
END OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE COASTAL HEADLANDS TODAY FROM 1 PM
PST TO 9 PM PST.
GALE WARNING THROUGH THIS EVENING CAPE BLANCO TO
CALIFORNIA BORDER 0-20 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH MONDAY FLORENCE OREGON TO CAPE
ARAGO 0-60 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH MONDAY FLORENCE OREGON TO THE
CALIFORNIA BORDER 20-60 NM.
SNOW ADVISORY 9 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 11 AM SUNDAY ZONES
023...024...025...026.
CA...GALE WARNING THROUGH THIS EVENING OREGON BORDER TO POINT ST.
GEORGE 0-20 NM.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH MONDAY OREGON BORDER TO POINT ST.
GEORGE 20-60 NM.
WINTER STORM WARNING 9 PM PST THIS EVENING THROUGH 11 AM PST
SUNDAY ZONE 080...081.
WINTER STORM WARNING 9 PM PST THIS EVENING THROUGH 9 AM PST
MONDAY ZONE 082.
WINTER STORM WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY ZONE 083.
&&
ALSO VISIT THE NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD
REYNOLDSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cape Blanco winds met High Wind Warning criteria continuously during this time interval, except for the 1100 PST observation. The highest recorded sustained wind was 47 mph at 1000 PST.
Highest gust recorded at Cape Blanco during this event.
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: 5429105, 5429106.