An unseasonably cold air mass was in place over Oregon when a weak disturbance brought some moisture to the area. Low level snowfall was anticipated with forecast amounts of less than an inch, but the system had more moisture than expected.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
An unseasonably cold air mass was in place over Oregon when a weak disturbance brought some moisture to the area. Low level snowfall was anticipated with forecast amounts of less than an inch, but the system had more moisture than expected. 2 to 5 inches of snow fell across large areas of southwest Oregon, right down to the coast. Numerous minor traffic accidents, road closures, and school closures occurred as a result of this storm. |A Snow Advisory was issued for Oregon zones ORZ023/024/026 at 16/1034 PST, effective until 16/1500 PST. It expired at 16/1500 PST. Most reported snowfall amounts fell in the 1-3 inch category, but some areas experienced 4 or more inches of snow, which meets Winter Storm Warning criteria in those areas. Those reports are listed here.
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 16, 2:30 AM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 230 AM PST TUE JAN 16 2007 .SHORT TERM...A COLD FRONT IS APPROACHING THE COAST EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL MOVE ONSHORE BY LATE THIS MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO FALL APART BY THE TIME IT MAKES IT ACROSS THE CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON. EARLIER THIS EVENING THE FRONT APPEARED PRETTY WEAK...HOWEVER...IR SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS SOME COOLING OF TOPS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE FRONT OVER THE PAST HOUR. IN GENERAL...AM NOT EXPECTING A WHOLE LOT OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM AS IT MOVES INLAND. INITIALLY...THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE INLAND FROM THE COAST WILL BE VERY DRY SO ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS WILL BE AS SNOW THIS MORNING DUE TO WET BULB EFFECT. THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL GRADUALLY MOISTEN UP THIS AFTERNOON AND SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE TO NEAR 2500 FEET WEST OF THE CASCADES BY AFTERNOON. COLDER AIR WILL SPREAD QUICKLY IN BEHIND THE FRONT BY EVENING BUT PRECIPITATION WILL BE DECREASING. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING THE MAIN PORTION OF THE UPPER TROUGH BREAKS OFF TO THE SOUTH AND A CLOSED LOW DEVELOPS NEAR S.F. BAY. HIGH PRESSURE JUST OFF THE COAST WILL BEGIN TO REBUILD WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY FOR A RETURN TO DRY WEATHER. .LONG TERM...UPPER RIDGE OFF THE COAST TEMPORARILY FLATTENS OUT FRIDAY AS A SHORT WAVE MOVES OVER THE TOP. BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS MODELS SHOW THE RIDGE REBOUNDING SOMEWHAT SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH THE AXIS REMAINING NEAR 130W. WOULD EXPECT SOME OCCASIONAL MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY AS A SERIES OF WEAK SHORT WAVES MOVE DOWN THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE BUT NO PRECIPITATION FORECAST AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS ALL AREAS TO BEGIN WITH THEN EXPECT CEILINGS TO GRADUALLY LOWER ALONG THE COAST BUT MAINTAIN VFR BY 14Z AS THE FRONT APPROACHES. AFTER 15Z EXPECT AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS ALONG THE COAST TO GRADUALLY SPREAD INLAND OVER THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR. && .MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. CA...NONE. PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...NO CURRENT WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES IN EFFECT. RH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 716 AM PST MON JAN 15 2007 ORZ021-022-151800- CURRY COUNTY COAST-SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST- 716 AM PST MON JAN 15 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA .DAY ONE...TODAY A FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM PST. FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE REFER TO THE FREEZE WARNING MESSAGE.. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. LS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter 2SE Roseburg reported 4 inches of snow, 2.5 inches of which fell between 16/0900 and 16/1330 PST.|
A spotter 3ESE Grants Pass reported 5 inches of snow during this interval.|
A spotter north of Tiller reported 4 inches of snow on the ground. 3 inches fell between 16/1100 and 16/1330 PST.|
A spotter north of Shady Cove reported 4.5 inches of snow during this interval.|
A spotter 5NNW Eagle Point reported 4.5 inches of snow during this interval.|
A spotter 9N Central Point reported 4.5 inches of snow during this interval.|
A spotter 1N Shady Cove reported 4.5 inches of snow during this interval.|
Icy roads were blamed for a major automotive accident that killed two people.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Central & Eastern Lake County | 2007-01-16 | 74 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Heavy Snow, Central & Eastern Lake County | 2007-01-16 | 51 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 2007
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: 6359, 6360, 6357, 6361, 6362, 6364, 6365, 6370.