Another cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Oregon.
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.
Another cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Oregon.
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 1, 9:23 AM PST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
923 AM PST SAT DEC 1 2012
.DISCUSSION...
NO UPDATES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE FORECAST THUS FAR THIS MORNING.
WE WILL BE UPDATING SOME FLOOD PRODUCTS THIS MORNING AND THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON...AND ALSO LOOKING AT POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER
HEADLINES FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT WAS SUBSTANTIAL ACROSS THE AREA...ENOUGH TO
CAUSE SOME RISES ON THE RIVERS AND CREEKS AGAIN. ADDITIONALLY...8
INCHES OF NEW SNOW HAS BEEN REPORTED AT DIAMOND LAKE JUNCTION.
TODAY RAIN WILL REMAIN STALLED OVER THE AREA MUCH LIKE IT CURRENTLY
IS...DIMINISHING IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE BIG CONCERNS COME IN TONIGHT WITH A QUICK HITTING
PRECIPITATION EVENT ACROSS THE AREA. WHILE THE DURATION OF THE
EVENT IS ONLY ABOUT 12 HOURS...PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY TO
BE OVER AN INCH ACROSS ALL OF THE WEST SIDE. FROM A HYDROLOGIC
PERSPECTIVE...WITH STREAMS...CREEKS...AND RIVERS ALREADY RUNNING
AT ELEVATED LEVELS DUE TO RECENT RAINFALL AND THE GROUND WELL
SATURATED...THERE IS SIGNIFICANT CONCERN THAT MANY SMALL
STREAMS...CREEKS...POOR DRAINING URBAN AREAS...AND EVEN POSSIBLY
SOME MAIN STEM RIVERS COULD FLOOD TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.
WE WILL BE REFINING THE FORECASTS FOR PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS...SNOW
LEVELS...AND SNOWFALL AND UPDATING RELATED PRODUCTS AS NECESSARY.
BTL
&&
.AVIATION...
BASED ON THE 01/12Z TAF CYCLE
THERE IS A RISK OF LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR ALONG THE COAST...INCLUDING
KOTH...THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND JUST INLAND..INCLUDING
KRBG...THROUGH TONIGHT. STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO SHOWERS
TODAY WITH CIGS BECOMING VFR WITH AREAS OF MVFR. STEADY
PRECIPITATION AND LOWER CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO THE COAST AND WEST
SIDE THIS EVENING.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 441 AM PST SAT DEC 1 2012/
DISCUSSION...A STRONG BUT FAST MOVING STORM WILL AFFECT OUR AREA
THIS MORNING THEN A STRONGER FRONT WILL RESULT IN WETTER AND
WINDIER WEATHER THIS EVENING INTO SUNDAY MORNING. ANOTHER STRONG
FRONT IS EXPECTED LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY EVENING.
AN OCCLUDED FRONT IS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH PRIMARILY MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION. LATE LAST EVENING...THE FRONT PRODUCED STRONG
COASTAL WINDS, A FEW THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND
ALSO A THUNDERSTORM THAT MOVED ACROSS COOS INTO DOUGLAS COUNTY
NEAR THE CAMAS VALLEY. THE SNOW LEVEL ACROSS OUR AREA IS ESTIMATED
AT 5500 TO 6000 FEET AND IT WILL NOT NOTICEABLY DROP BEHIND THE
FRONT. THIS FRONT IS FAST MOVING BUT THE INTENSITY OF THE RAINFALL
WILL LIKELY CAUSE PONDING ON WATER ON ROADWAYS AND PRODUCE RISES
ON CREEKS AND STREAMS. THE FRONT IS NEARLY TO THE CASCADES AND IS
EXPECTED TO EXIT EAST OF LAKE AND MODOC COUNTIES BY THE AFTERNOON
WITH OCCASIONAL...MAINLY LIGHT POST FRONTAL SHOWERS ACROSS THE
AREA. THESE SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST NUMEROUS IN WESTERN
AND SOUTHERN SISKIYOU COUNTY. THE RAIN THAT HAS ALREADY FALLEN IS
FORECAST TO SEND THE COQUILLE RIVER AT COQUILLE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE
THIS EVENING AND MAY DO LIKEWISE FOR THE SOUTH FORK OF THE
COQUILLE RIVER AT MYRTLE POINT. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD
STATEMENT AND FLOOD WATCH PRODUCTS FOR DETAILS.
A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL FOLLOW TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. AS
WITH THE PAST COUPLE OF FRONTS...THE MOST NOTEWORTHY ASPECTS OF
THIS STORM WILL BE STRONG SOUTH WINDS AND COPIOUS RAINFALL WITH AN
ADDITIONAL 1 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS THE AREA. RAINFALL WILL ONCE AGAIN
BE HEAVIEST IN SOUTHERN COOS...CURRY...WESTERN JOSEPHINE AND
WESTERN AND SOUTHERN SISKIYOU COUNTIES. THE MOST INTENSE RAINFALL
WILL FALL WEST OF THE CASCADES FROM LATE EVENING INTO EARLY SUNDAY
MORNING AND EAST OF THE CASCADES SUNDAY MORNING. A FLOOD WATCH IS
ALSO IN EFFECT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND
STREAMS ALONG THE COAST INTO JOSEPHINE COUNTY.
WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF THE FRONT TODAY. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST...IN THE SHASTA VALLEY AND
EAST OF THE CASCADES BEGINNING EARLY THIS EVENING. COASTAL WINDS
WILL BE STRONGEST BETWEEN 7 PM AND MIDNIGHT BUT REMAIN STRONG INTO
THE EARLY MORNING WHILE INLAND WINDS SHOULD PEAK LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EXIT OUR AREA
BY LATE MORNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL FINALLY LOWER TO NEAR THE MAJOR
HIGHWAY PASSES BEHIND THE FRONT SUNDAY MORNING...BUT BY THAT TIME
A MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. STILL A
COATING TO A FEW INCHES OF SNOW ON ROADWAYS AT AND ABOVE 4500 FEET
COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON TRAVEL.
A WEAK TRAILING FRONT IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE LIGHT RAINFALL...MAINLY
WEST OF THE CASCADES SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT INTO MONDAY
MORNING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW DOWN TO 4000
FEET.
CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING OF THE NEXT SYSTEM IS NOT YET HIGH. BUT THE
MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING STRONGER/WETTER WITH IT. AS IS
TYPICAL...THE GFS IS THE FASTEST WITH ITS ARRIVAL. BUT THE GFS AND
ECMWF ARE NOW ONLY A FEW HOURS SLOWER. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO
APPROACH THE COAST BY MONDAY EVENING AND IT MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH
TO PRODUCE HIGH WINDS IN THE SAME AREAS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED
TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE ABOVE PASS LEVELS WITH
THIS SYSTEM AND THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN
LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...POTENTIALLY INTO TUESDAY
EVENING.
A MOIST ONSHORE FLOW WITH LIGHT AND GRADUALLY DIMINISHING SHOWERS
IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY.
WEAK RIDGING IS EXPECTED LATE IN THE WEEK WITH A BREAK BETWEEN
SYSTEMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AT LEAST INTO FRIDAY. THIS
SHOULD LEAD TO SUBSTANTIAL COOLING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THE
POTENTIAL FOR MORNING VALLEY FOG ON BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
MORNINGS.
THE 00Z GFS SOLUTION WOULD MAINTAIN RIDGING INTO NEXT WEEKEND
WHILE THE 00Z ECMWF CONTINUES TO INDICATE A SYSTEM MOVING
SOUTHEAST INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THIS SOLUTION WOULD PRODUCE
RAINFALL MAINLY NORTH OF OUR AREA...WITH THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY
OF LIGHT RAIN AT THE COAST AND ACROSS DOUGLAS COUNTY.
AVIATION...ANOTHER COLD FRONT HAS MOVED ONSHORE BRINGING
MVFR/LOCAL IFR CIGS ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND MODERATE RAIN TO
MOST AREAS. STRONGEST WINDS ARE ALONG THE COAST AND ALSO THE EAST
SIDE WHERE GUSTS TO 35 KT ARE POSSIBLE WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE
TURBULENCE. THERE IS A RISK OF LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR ALONG THE
COAST...INCLUDING KOTH...THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...AND JUST
INLAND..INCLUDING KRBG...THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING. WIDESPREAD
MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS THIS MORNING. STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO
SHOWERS TODAY WITH CIGS BECOMING VFR WITH AREAS OF MVFR. STEADY
PRECIPITATION AND LOWER CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO THE COAST AND
WEST SIDE SATURDAY EVENING.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
ORZ029>031.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
ORZ021-022.
FLOOD WATCH FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING
FOR ORZ021-022-024.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
CAZ084-085.
FLOOD WATCH FROM 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING
FOR CAZ080.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
FOR CAZ081.
PZ...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
PZZ356.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
GALE WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
BTL/DWPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
937 AM PST SAT DEC 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 7 NE CAVE JUNCTION 42.23N 123.53W
12/01/2012 M2.02 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNT. LOCATION IS 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF
CAVE JUNCTION AT 1700 FEET.
0830 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 ENE MURPHY 42.36N 123.29W
12/01/2012 M1.30 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR PRECIPITATION.
&&
LUTZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
129 PM PST SAT DEC 01 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 NW APPLEGATE 42.32N 123.23W
12/01/2012 M1.24 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR TOTAL RAINFALL ENDING AT 7 AM PST
&&
SPILDEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Summit RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 71 mph at 02/0503 PST. The Rock Creek RAWS recorded a gust to 59 mph at 02/0127 PST.
The Flynn Prairie RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 76 mph at 01/2313 PST.
The Zim and Squaw Peak RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 74 mph during this interval. The peak gust at Zim was 79 mph at 02/0139 PST. The peak gust at Squaw Peak was 83 mph at 01/2239 PST.
The Calimus RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 74 mph at 02/0000 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2012
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: 422607, 422604, 422605, 422606.