A quick hitting low pressure system brought a short period of high winds to the southern Oregon coast this morning. A High Wind Warning was issued for ORZ022 at 0605 PST on 01/01/04 and expired at 0925 PST on 01/01/04.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 quick hitting low pressure system brought a short period of high winds to the southern Oregon coast this morning. A High Wind Warning was issued for ORZ022 at 0605 PST on 01/01/04 and expired at 0925 PST on 01/01/04. The above observations verified the warning, and obviously the warning was issued late.
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 Jan 1, 3:27 AM PST, 33 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
327 AM PST THU JAN 1 2004
.DISCUSSION...
WAS A BIT CONCERNED THIS EVENING WHEN I WALKED IN AND SAW TAIL END
OF ENHANCEMENT APPROACHING COAST. HOWEVER...CHECKED NCEP SAT WINDS
AND MATCHED UP WELL WITH MODEL GUIDANCE WITH AREA UNDER LEFT EXIT
REGION OF 140 KT JET. AS EVENING PROGRESSED AREA OF STRONG
ENHANCEMENT DEVELOPED ON BACK END SYSTEM WITH WEED OBS SHOWING
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AS WOULD BE INDICATED BY H7 WINDS INCREASING
TO 70KT ON MESOETA. THIS IS WELL IN LINE WITH WITH COUPLET OF BL
THETA E CONVERGANCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGANCE...AND MT SHASTA IS
SHOWING INCH PER HOUR SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. MAJOR CHANGES AT THIS TIME
WILL BE CHANGING WARNING FOR THE SHASTA VALLEY TO A BLIZZARD
WARNING AND UPPING THEW ADVISORY IN 27 TO A WARNING AS WELL. EXPECT
DECENT SHOWER ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE IN THE AFTERNOON AS COLD AIR
MOVES IN BEHIND SYSTEM WITH INSTABILITY BELOW ZERO ON COAST AND
WATERS PRODUCING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THAT WILL DISSIPATE
AS IT MOVES OFF RELATIVELY WARMER WATERS INLAND. COLD UNSTABLE
PATTERN CONTINUES INTO THE WEEKEND AS COOL FLOW CONTINUES INTO
AREA. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES INLAND BEFORE TRANSITIONING INTO A
MORE ZONAL PATTERN THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. NEXT MAJOR SYSTEM SET
TO MOVE INTO THE REGION MONDAY...WITH ADVERTISED SNOW LEVELS
AROUND 6000 FEET AND SUBSTANTIAL QPF. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR
HYDROLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DECENT RAIN ON SNOW
PACK BETWEEN 2000 AND 5000 FT...BUT WILL WAIT UNTIL THIS EVENT GETS
CLOSER IN THE SITES.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SNOW ADVISORY TODAY >1000 SW OR ZONES 021-023-025.
WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY >1500 SW OR ZONES
024-026-028-029-030.
CA...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY CA ZONES 080-082>085 >2500.
BLIZZARD WARNING TODAY CA ZONE 081 >2500.
&&
SVENHAZARDOUS 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.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This gust recorded at Gold Beach.
This gust recorded at Gold Beach.
Spotter CU31 in Brookings reported south winds 60g75 mph.
This gust recorded at Gold Beach.
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, 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: 5380838, 5380839, 5380837, 5380840.