The above two spotter reports verified a Heavy Snow Warning for Oregon zones ORZ029/030. Unfortunately, this was a missed event as no warning or advisory was in effect at the time.
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.
The above two spotter reports verified a Heavy Snow Warning for Oregon zones ORZ029/030. Unfortunately, this was a missed event as no warning or advisory was in effect at the time. These reports were not received until the event was over.
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 Mar 1, 2:55 AM PST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
255 AM PST MON MAR 1 2004
.DISCUSSION...UPPER LOW SPINNING DOWN THE OREGON COAST THIS MORNING
WILL TRACK RIGHT OVER SOUTHWEST OREGON BY LATE MORNING...AND
CONTINUE SOUTH INTO CALIFORNIA TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. COLD AIR
ALOFT WITHIN THE LOW NOT TOO THREATENING AT -28C AT 500 MB. THE MAIN
BAND OF PRECIP OUT AHEAD OF THE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAROCLINIC
ZONE AND GOOD UPPER DIFLUENCE IS RUNNING THROUGH SISKIYOU AND MODOC
COUNTIES AND WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SOUTHEAST TODAY AWAY FROM THE
AREA. SHOWERY AND COOL WEATHER EXPECTED. WILL ALLOW SISKIYOU COUNTY
SNOW ADVISORY GO WITH THE MORNING PACKAGE. POPS GRADUALLY DWINDLE
INTO THE EVENING. LITTLE CHANGE WAS MADE TO THE EXISTING FORECAST
THEREAFTER THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. DRIER NORTH FLOW IS ON
TAP TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WHILE ANOTHER SYSTEM STILL LOOKS ON
TAP TO ARRIVE WEDNESDAY. A PRETTY GOOD ONSHORE PUSH WILL ARRIVE LATER
WEDNESDAY AND LAST INTO THURSDAY WITH STRONG JET ENERGY ALOFT. RAIN
CHANCES HIGHEST OREGON WEST SIDE. LOOKS LIKE LITTLE IF ANY BREAK
BEFORE ANOTHER SIMILAR SYSTEM FOLLOWS BY FRIDAY. MORE ACTIVE ONSHORE
FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
&&
.MFR...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...FLORENCE OR TO OR/CA BORDER.
CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...OR/CA BORDER TO PT. ST. GEORGE CA.
&&
MSHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 630 AM PST SUN FEB 29 2004 CAZ080>085-ORZ021>031-PZZ350-353-356-370-373-376-011430- CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR 20 TO 60 NM- CAPE ARAGO TO FLORENCE, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR 20 TO 60 NM- CAPE BLANCO TO CAPE ARAGO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY- CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-CURRY COUNTY COAST- EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY- EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY-KLAMATH BASIN- MODOC COUNTY-NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY- NORTHEAST SISKIYOU AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTIES- NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR 20 TO 60 NM- PT. ST. GEORGE, CA TO CAPE BLANCO, OR WESTWARD 20 NM- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES- SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY- 630 AM PST SAT FEB 28 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GLASER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
611 AM PST MON MAR 01 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0611 AM HEAVY SNOW KENO 42.13N 121.93W
03/01/2004 7.00 INCH KLAMATH OR TRAINED SPOTTER
OVERNIGHT TO 6AM.
&&
CDGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter at Keno reported 7 inches of snow overnight ending at 0600 PST on 03/01.
A spotter at Bly on the west side of Bly Mountain reported a 12 hour total of 7 inches of snow ending at 0700 PST on 03/01.
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, March 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: 5384881, 5384882.