Flooding in Oregon, December 29 to 30, 2008

Name: Flooding in Oregon, December 29 to 30, 2008
Start: 2008-12-29T05:30
End: 2008-12-30T02:45
Location: Oregon

December 29 to 30, 2008 · NWS MFR · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain on 12/29/08 led to brief flooding on two rivers in Douglas County and a near flood on a third.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

Heavy rain on 12/29/08 led to brief flooding on two rivers in Douglas County and a near flood on a third.

What forecasters said that day

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 29, 2:44 AM PST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 2:44 AM PST, 2 hours 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
244 AM PST MON DEC 29 2008

.DISCUSSION...PROLONGED HEAVY RAIN EVENT LOOKS TO BE FINALLY
COMING TO AN END TODAY AS FAIRLY STEADY FLOW PATTERN THAT HAS BEEN
FEEDING BAND OF PWS RANGING FROM 1-1/25 INTO THE REGION FOR THE
PAST SEVERAL DAYS FINALLY WILL BE DISRUPTED. BAROCLINIC LEAF IS
FORMING ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST WITH JET STREAK BEGINNING TO NOSE
INTO THE REGION BEHIND. THIS WILL ALLOW THE ENTRENCHED FRONT TO
FINALLY BEGIN TO MOVE OUT OF THE REGION TONIGHT. COLD AIR FINALLY
MOVES IN BEHIND THE FRONT...DROPPING SNOW LEVELS BEHIND THE FRONT.
THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE AHEAD OF THIS COLD AIR MASS
WITH LIGHT PRECIPITATION BEHIND RESULTING IN LIGHT SNOW AMOUNTS.
THE NEXT FRONT IS WAITING IN THE WINGS OUT PAST 130W THAT WILL
COME INTO THE AREA TUESDAY. THIS FRONT WILL BRING WINDS UP AGAIN
AT THE COAST BUT MODELS ARE SHOWING DIVERGENT SOLUTIONS WITH THE
GFS MUCH STRONGER THAN THE NAM AND AM KEEPING WINDS TO GALES AT
THIS TIME.

&&

.AVIATION...MVFR WITH IFR AT THE COAST ISOLATED IFR INLAND WITH
HEAVY PRECIPITATION CONTINUES UNDER DEEP OVERCAST DECK THAT WILL
CONTINUE TO OBSCURE HIGHER TERRAIN THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY
AFTERNOON. AREAS OF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS FORM BY MORNING IN THE
WEST SIDE VALLEYS AND POSSIBLY VCTY KLMT IN LOW CLOUDS AND FOG.

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ORZ027.

CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR CAZ081.

PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WATCH FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
     LATE TUESDAY NIGHT FOR PZZ350-PZZ356-PZZ370-PZZ376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 2 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
     PZZ350-PZZ356-PZZ370-PZZ376.
     HAZARDOUS SEAS WATCH FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY
     NIGHT FOR PZZ350-PZZ356-PZZ370-PZZ376.
     SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 4 PM PST TUESDAY
     FOR PZZ350-PZZ356-PZZ370-PZZ376.

SVEN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Douglas

When: December 29, 5:30 AM PST to 10:30 AM PST
Where: Douglas County, 2.01 mi NW of Dixonville to 1.56 mi NW of Dixonville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 43.221, -123.278

A Flood Warning was issued for Deer Creek at Roseburg at 29/0608, valid from the morning of the 29th until the evening of the 29th. The creek exceeded flood stage (10.0 feet) at 29/0530 PST, crested at 10.61 feet at 29/0700 PST, then dropped below flood stage at 29/1100 PST. The flood warning was cancelled at 29/1146 PST.

Flood, Douglas

When: December 29, 9:30 PM PST to December 30, 2:45 AM PST
Where: Douglas County, 2.27 mi SSE of Elkton Arpt to 2.7 mi SSE of Elkton Arpt
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 43.588, -123.561

A Flood Warning was issued for the Umpqua River near Elkton at 29/2213 PST, effective from 29/2213 until 30/0600 PST. The river reached flood stage (33.0 feet) at 29/2130 PST, crested at 33.61 feet at 30/0015 PST, then dropped below flood stage at 30/0300 PST. The warning was cancelled at 30/0409 PST.

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, December 2008

Sources

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: 140287, 140288.