No warning or advisory was in effect at this time, but this was the only report of heavy snow received from the area, so it appears that it was not a widespread event in this zone.
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.
No warning or advisory was in effect at this time, but this was the only report of heavy snow received from the area, so it appears that it was not a widespread event in this zone.
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 26, 8:50 AM PST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
850 AM PST SUN DEC 26 2004
.DISCUSSION...
THE COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INLAND AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS PLENTY
OF COLD AIR BEHIND THE SYSTEM. SNOW LEVEL DROPPED TO AROUND 1500
FEET NORTH OF THE SISKIYOUS THIS MORNING WITH MIXED RAIN AND SNOW AT
MEDFORD. EXPECT THE SNOW LEVEL TO RISE SLOWLY TO AROUND 3000 FEET BY
AFTERNOON. TO THE SOUTH THINGS ARE A LITTLE TRICKIER WITH SNOW LEVEL
AROUND 3000 FT IN THE SHASTA VALLEY BUT LOWER ELSEWHERE. WINDS IN
THE SHASTA VALLEY HAS DECREASES AND WILL LET THE WIND ADVISORY THERE
EXPIRE AT 9 AM.
FB
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWING BROAD UPPER TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST WITH RADAR ECHOES INDICATING WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE
PRECIP OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA (FA) IN
ASSOCIATION WITH SURFACE FRONT MOVING ONSHORE. FRONT WILL PROGRESS
VERY SLOWLY EASTWARD THIS MORNING AS CENTER OF CLOSED UPPER LOW
TRACKS SOUTHWARD ALONG 130W. SNOW ADVISORIES FOR THE WESTERN OREGON
ZONES AND HEAVY SNOW WARNINGS FOR THE WESTERN CALIFORNIA ZONES
THROUGH 11 AM THIS MORNING STILL LOOKING ON TRACK. WILL REFRESH
WSWMFR PRODUCT SOON TO RAISE SNOW LEVELS A BIT IN SOME LOCALES WHILE
DECREASING SNOW AMOUNTS SLIGHTLY IN SOME OTHER AREAS. PRECIP WILL
BECOME SHOWERY LATER TODAY AND WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF EXCEPT FOR
HIGHER TERRAIN OF OREGON ZONE 30 WHERE A SNOW ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH 4 PM TODAY AND CALIFORNIA ZONE 082 WHERE A HEAVY SNOW
WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL MONDAY MORNING.
CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK SOUTHWARD ALONG THE COAST
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT INTO MONDAY WITH UPPER FLOW OVER THE FA BECOMING
MORE SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY. THIS WILL ALLOW MOISTURE TO CONTINUE TO BE
PUSHED INTO THE AREA MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES WITH PRECIP
AMOUNTS CONTINUING TO DECREASE. WILL SEE A BRIEF LULL IN PRECIP
DURING THE DAY TUESDAY AS WE END UP BETWEEN SYSTEMS. LATE TUESDAY
INTO WEDNESDAY ENERGY ON NORTHSIDE OF DEPARTING CLOSED UPPER TROUGH
WILL PHASE WITH DIGGING TROUGH FROM THE NORTH TO CREATE A GENERAL
TROUGH-LIKE PATTERN OVER THE FA. THIS WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF A
PERIOD OF UNSETTLED WEATHER THAT WILL LAST INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST COMES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A BROAD UPPER TROUGH.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO CA BORDER 0-60 NM.
SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH 11 AM PST TODAY ZONES 023...024...025 AND
026.
SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH 4 PM PST TODAY ZONE 030.
CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH MONDAY OREGON BORDER TO POINT ST.
GEORGE 0-60 NM.
HEAVY SNOW WARNING THROUGH 11 AM PST TODAY ZONES 080...081.
HEAVY SNOW WARNING THROUGH 9 AM PST MONDAY ZONE 082.
&&
ALSO VISIT THE NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD
FBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
611 AM PST SUN DEC 26 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 NNW BROOKINGS 42.11N 124.33W
12/26/2004 1.17 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
10 HOUR RAINFALL ENDING AT 6 AM PST.
&&
JACOBSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
648 AM PST SUN DEC 26 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0647 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 E MEDFORD 42.33N 122.79W
12/26/2004 0.00 INCH JACKSON OR TRAINED SPOTTER
RAIN TURNED TO SNOW AND BEGINNING TO ACCUMULATE AT 645 AM
PST. ELEVATION 2000 FEET.
&&
JACOBSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
707 AM PST SUN DEC 26 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0705 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 NE GOLD BEACH 42.45N 124.37W
12/26/2004 2.39 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL ENDING AT 7 AM PST.
&&
JACOBSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Cooperative observer at Chiloquin reported 11.1 inches of snow in 24 hours.
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: 5429187.