High Wind in Oregon, December 19 to 20, 2012

Name: High Wind in Oregon, December 19 to 20, 2012
Start: 2012-12-19T13:42
End: 2012-12-20T11:03
Location: Oregon

December 19 to 20, 2012 · NWS MFR · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The stormy pattern continued as another cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Oregon.

Where it happened

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.

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: 4

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.

The stormy pattern continued as another cold front brought high winds to portions of southern Oregon.

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 19, 8:00 AM PST, 5 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 19, 8:00 AM PST, 5 hours 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
800 AM PST WED DEC 19 2012

.DISCUSSION...19/12Z NAM IN. 19/12Z GFS IN THROUGH 78HR.

A RELATIVELY QUIET MORNING OVER THE MEDFORD CWA...BUT NOT TOO
QUIET. WINDS ARE GUSTING OVER 60 MPH AT CAPE BLANCO. LIGHT
PRECIPITATION IS BEING REPORTED BY A FEW COASTAL STATIONS...BUT
NOTHING LIKE WHAT WILL BE COMING IN TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.

A WEAK RIDGE NOW MOVING ONSHORE WILL BREAK TO THE EAST OF THE AREA
BY THIS AFTERNOON...AND INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF
AN OFFSHORE LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL OPEN UP THE STORM DOOR ONCE
AGAIN.

THE TROUGH WILL DIG ALONG 140W THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...AND THEN
PROGRESS EAST AND WEAKEN FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DURING THIS
INTERVAL IT WILL EJECT SEVERAL STRONG SHORT WAVES TOWARD THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE STRONGEST WAVES WILL MOVE ONSHORE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AROUND MIDDAY FRIDAY...FRIDAY NIGHT...AND
SATURDAY NIGHT. AS CAN BE INFERRED FROM THIS TIMETABLE...A BUNCH
OF WET AND WINDY SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ONSHORE DURING THIS
INTERVAL...AND IT MAY BE DIFFICULT IN SOME AREAS...ESPECIALLY
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...TO TELL WHEN ONE STORM ENDS AND THE NEXT
BEGINS.

THE FIRST OF THE STORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS A WARM FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE AREA. WINDS WILL INCREASE BEHIND THE FRONT AND
CONTINUE UNTIL THE TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVES ONSHORE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON. THIS IS A BIT SLOWER THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST AND HIGH
WIND WARNINGS MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED LATER TODAY. THIS WILL BE
THE WETTEST AND WINDIEST OF THE COMING SPATE OF SYSTEMS. MORE
STORMS WILL FOLLOW WITH THE FOCUS OF PRECIPITATION OVER A CRESCENT
EXTENDING FROM THE KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN
SISKIYOU COUNTY...THEN EAST TO THE MOUNT SHASTA AREA. THE MOUNT
SHASTA AREA STILL LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE THE HARDEST HIT WITH LOTS
AND LOTS OF SNOW FOR THAT AREA.

THE REMNANTS OF THE TROUGH WILL MOVE ONSHORE OVER VANCOUVER
ISLAND SUNDAY NIGHT. ONE MORE SHORT WAVE SLIDING DOWN THE BACKSIDE
OF THE TROUGH WILL MOVE ONSHORE MONDAY...THEN A LONG WAVE RIDGE
WILL SET UP OFFSHORE...BRINGING A BREAK IN THE STORM ACTION FOR A
DAY OR SO. THAT RIDGE WILL BREAK TO THE EAST TUESDAY EVENING AND
THE NEXT STORM WILL COME IN HOT ON ITS HEELS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM FEATURING HIGH WINDS WILL IMPACT
THE AREA THIS MORNING THROUGH TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY IMPACT AT THE TAF
SITES THROUGH WEDNESDAY WILL BE INCREASING SOUTH WINDS AS A WARM
FRONT PASSES THROUGH AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR
PRIOR TO THE SURFACING OF WINDS. WHILE RAINFALL WILL INCREASE THIS
MORNING THROUGH AFTERNOON AT THE COAST...LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IS
SHOWING A PRONOUNCED DOWNSLOPING/RAIN SHADOWING EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
THE WEST SIDE. RAIN WILL WORK ITS WAY INLAND THROUGH THE MORNING IN
THE COASTAL AREAS. A DRYING...STIFF SOUTH WIND SHOULD KEEP
PRECIPITATION AT BAY FOR MUCH OF THE DAY IN THE ROGUE VALLEY. EXPECT
DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT THE COAST WITH MVFR MUCH OF THE MORNING
BECOMING IFR LATE IN THE DAY AS RAIN AND WIND INCREASE. CONDITIONS
SHOULD BE VFR ELSEWHERE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY WITH INCREASING SOUTH
WINDS. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY AS WELL
AND THERE SHOULD BE CONSIDERABLE MOUNTAIN WAVE TURBULENCE ON THE
WEST SIDE BY AFTERNOON, TRANSLATING TO THE EAST SIDE BY EVENING.
FREEZING LEVELS WILL DROP SHARPLY TONIGHT. -KEENE

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 2 PM PST THURSDAY
        FOR ORZ030-031.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        FOR ORZ030-031.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        FOR ORZ027-028.
     HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        BELOW 2000 FEET FOR FOR ORZ024.
     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM PST FRIDAY
        ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR FOR ORZ024.
     HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        ABOVE 1500 FEET FOR FOR ORZ023.
     HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM PST THURSDAY
        FOR ORZ026.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        FOR ORZ025-026.

CA...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM PST FRIDAY
        ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR FOR CAZ080.
     HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM PST THURSDAY
        FOR CAZ081.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
        FOR CAZ081.
     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST
        SATURDAY FOR CAZ082-083.

PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR
        PZZ350-356-370-376.
     GALE WARNING UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING FOR
        PZZ350-356-370-376.
     HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST FRIDAY FOR
        PZZ350-356-370-376.

15/15/15

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, South Central Oregon Coast

When: December 19, 1:42 PM PST to December 20, 4:06 AM PST
Where: South Central Oregon Coast forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 42.979, -123.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The NOS/NWLON unit at Port Orford recorded numerous gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 74 mph at 20/0100 PST. The Long Prairie RAWS also recorded numerous high wind gusts. The peak gust was 70 mph at 20/0113 PST. A spotter 2NNE Langlois recorded a gust to 59 mph overnight.

High Wind, Curry County Coast

When: December 19, 2:39 PM PST to December 20, 5:19 AM PST
Where: Curry County Coast forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 42.467, -124.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Gold Beach ASOS recorded numerous gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 66 mph at 19/1739 PST. The Flynn Prairie RAWS also recorded many high wind gusts. The peak gust was 65 mph recorded at 20/0113 and 20/0413 PST.

High Wind, Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades

When: December 19, 7:39 PM PST to December 20, 8:39 AM PST
Where: Siskiyou Mountains & Southern Oregon Cascades forecast zone
Measured: 86 kt (99 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 42.495, -122.645 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Squaw Peak RAWS recorded numerous gusts exceeding 74 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 99 mph at 20/0639 and 20/0739 PST. The ZIM RAWS also recorded several high wind gusts. The peak gust was 81 mph recorded at 20/0639 PST.

High Wind, Central & Eastern Lake County

When: December 19, 11:38 PM PST to December 20, 11:03 AM PST
Where: Central & Eastern Lake County forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 42.793, -120.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Summer Lake RAWS recorded several gusts exceeding 57 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 61 mph at 20/0038 PST. The Summit RAWS recorded a peak gust if 58 mph at 20/1103 PST. A sensor in Christmas Valley recorded a gust to 58 mph at 20/0600 PST. A spotter at Valley Falls recorded a gust to 62 mph at around 20/0109 PST and a gust to 74 mph around 20/1000 PST.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oregon in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, December 2012

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: 422662, 422664, 422665, 422666.