A strong front brought high winds to the coast and some inland locations.
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.
A strong front brought high winds to the coast and some inland locations.
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 10, 9:14 PM PST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
914 PM PST FRI JAN 10 2014
.DISCUSSION...EVENING UPDATE. WINDS ARE INCREASING AT THE COAST AND
IN THE COASTAL WATERS AS THE FRONT APPROACHES THIS EVENING.
EVERYTHING IS PROCEEDING AS WE HAVE FORESEEN AND WILL NOT UPDATE
THIS EVENING. -PALPATINE
.SHORT TERM...A STRONG STORM OFFSHORE IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON
SATELLITE
IMAGERY...SHOWING CLASSIC MID-LATITUDE CYCLONE CHARACTERISTICS.
IMPACTS FROM THIS STORM WILL BE PLENTIFUL...RANGING FROM HEAVY RAIN
AND HIGH WINDS AND SURF AFFECTING THE COAST AND COASTAL WATERS TO
HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CASCADES. THIS
WILL BE A QUICK-HITTER...WITH THE BRUNT OF THE STORM OCCURRING
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN A STORM OF
THIS MAGNITUDE SINCE THE UNUSUALLY STRONG STORMS OF SEPTEMBER...SO
IT WILL REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM THE WEATHER SO FAR THIS
WINTER. AFTERWARDS...A LONG PERIOD OF RIDGING AND QUIET WEATHER IS
EXPECTED.
FIRST...THE WIND. PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL TIGHTEN ALONG THE
COAST...PEAKING FROM ARCATA TO NORTH BEND AT 9MB EARLY SATURDAY
MORNING. THIS IS WHEN THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE
COAST...WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH LIKELY. FARTHER INLAND...GUSTY
SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL AFFECT THE SHASTA VALLEY. ITS NOT A CLASSIC
SOUTHERLY FLOW FOR THE SHASTA VALLEY...SO A HIGH WIND WARNING WAS
NOT ISSUED. HOWEVER...IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO INITIATE GUSTS TO
45MPH AND A MEDFORD-REDDING PRESSURE GRADIENT OF 7MB SHOULD DO THE
TRICK...SO 45MPH GUSTS ARE EXPECTED THERE LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY
MORNING. EAST OF THE CASCADES A LONG DURATION OF WIDESPREAD GUSTY TO
STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED...LASTING FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY
SATURDAY. THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS WILL AFFECT THE FAVORED SUMMER LAKE
AREA...WITH PEAK GUSTS TO 80 MPH POSSIBLE. THE WIND HAZARDS ARE
COVERED ON THE PRODUCT NPWMFR.
NEXT...RAIN AND SNOW. MOST ARE INTERESTED IN SEEING SOME RAINFALL TO
GIVE SOME REPRIEVE TO THE ONGOING DROUGHT CONDITIONS AFFECTING MUCH
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON. THOUGH THIS WON'T BRING
US EVEN CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR THE WATER YEAR (SINCE SEP 1)...IT WILL
PUT A SMALL DENT IN THE DEFICIT. 1-3 INCHES OF RAIN IS EXPECTED AT
THE COAST AND IN THE COAST RANGE...WITH 0.25 TO 0.75 INCHES RAIN IN
WEST SIDE VALLEYS. COLD AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL CHANGE RAIN TO
SNOW...STARTING AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF COURSE WITH SNOW AT
CRATER LAKE AND MOUNT ASHLAND BY SATURDAY MORNING. MODELS SUGGEST
ABOUT 20 INCHES AROUND CRATER LAKE WITH ABOUT 8 INCHES ON HIGHWAY
140 AT LAKE OF THE WOODS. EAST OF THE CASCADES WILL ALSO SEE ENOUGH
SNOW TO IMPACT AREAS OF HIGHWAY 97 AROUND CHEMULT. WINDS WILL HAMPER
TRAVEL FURTHER WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 40 MPH EXPECTED. WINTER
HEADLINES ARE COVERED ON WSWMFR.
FINALLY...HIGH SURF WILL ROLL IN BEHIND THE FRONT WITH 35 FOOT
BREAKERS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS NEAR THE SURF ZONE AND JETTIES WILL AFFECT
EITHER SIDE OF THIS TIME PERIOD AS WELL...SO BEACHGOERS SHOULD BE
AWARE OF THIS HAZARD AND USE CAUTION.
.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW WILL KEEP
SHOWERY PRECIPITATION GOING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND WEST SIDE THROUGH
MUCH OF SUNDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE AROUND 3000 FEET SUNDAY MORNING
SO SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL IN THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. HOWEVER,
ACCUMULATIONS DON'T LOOK SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO WARRANT EXTENDING ANY
HEADLINES INTO SUNDAY. NEVERTHELESS, TRAVEL WILL BE SNOWY AT TIMES
ACROSS ALL THE PASSES SUNDAY.
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT THEN BUILDS IN OVER THE THE PACNW MONDAY AND
REMAINS IN PLACE MORE OR LESS THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. THIS
WILL RESULT IN A RETURN TO WEST SIDE VALLEY FOG AND VERY DRY
OFFSHORE FLOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS. A SYSTEM GOES BY TO OUR NORTH ON
WEDNESDAY WHICH BRIEFLY SUPRESSES THE RIDGE, BUT IT REBOUNDS
THEREAFTER AND REMAINS FAIRLY STRONG THROUGH FRIDAY. OBVIOUSLY, NO
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEK. -WRIGHT
&&
.AVIATION...AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL KEEP CLOUDS STREAMING IN
OVER THE REGION TODAY WITH INCREASING MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS. CIGS
ARE GENERALLY MVFR OR BETTER AND ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN SO THROUGH
THE EVENING THEN BEGIN TO LOWER OVERNIGHT AS THE FRONT APPROACHES.
WINDS ALOFT WILL INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING
RESULTING IN LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT WEST SIDE TERMINALS, THEN
GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SURFACE AT ALL SITES BY 12-15Z.
RAIN WITH POTENTIAL IFR CIGS AND VIS WILL MOVE ONTO THE COAST AT
AROUND 12Z AND THEN SPREAD INLAND THROUGH THE MORNING AS THE FRONT
ARRIVES. SATURDAY WILL BE BREEZY TO WINDY ALL AREAS WHICH WILL
RESULT IN A LOT OF MOUNTAIN WAVE TURBULENCE AND BUMPY APPROACHES.
-WRIGHT
&&
.MARINE...A POWERFUL COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE WATERS TONIGHT
THEN INLAND SATURDAY. AHEAD OF THIS FRONT...SOUTH WINDS WILL
INCREASE...REACHING GALE TO STORM FORCE WINDS THIS EVENING INTO
TONIGHT...AND PERSISTING THROUGH MUCH OF SATURDAY. WINDS WILL BE
ENHANCED BY A COASTAL JET...AND MODELS HAVE DEPICTED THIS OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL SOLUTIONS...GIVING INCREASED CONFIDENCE TO THE
FORECASTED STORM CONDITIONS. INCREASING WIND WAVES COMBINED WITH
HEAVY WESTERLY SWELL WILL RESULT IN CHAOTIC AND VERY STEEP SEAS THIS
EVENING THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. WESTERLY SWELL WILL BUILD
FURTHER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...WHILE WINDS WILL BECOME
WESTERLY WITH AREAS OF CONTINUED GALE FORCE WINDS. GALES COMBINING
WITH HEAVY WEST SWELL WILL CONTINUE THE TREND OF EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS SEAS...WITH WAVE HEIGHTS REACHING 25 TO 30 FEET SATURDAY
EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
SUSPECT THE THE SWAN MODEL OUTPUT AND WAVE WATCH BULLETIN BRING THE
SWELL HEIGHT DOWN TOO FAST SUNDAY...MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT
ACCOUNT FOR THE DYNAMIC FETCH KEEPING SWELL AND WIND SEAS FROM
DECREASING QUICKLY. FEEL CONFIDENT WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...SO
HAVE CONTINUED THE TREND OF GRADUALLY DECREASING SEAS. -BPN
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 PM PST SATURDAY FOR
ORZ029>031.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
FOR ORZ029>031.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM PST SATURDAY
FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH SURF WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM PST SUNDAY
FOR
ORZ021-022.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 AM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
FOR ORZ027-028.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 AM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
ABOVE
5500 FEET FOR FOR ORZ027-028.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 PM PST SATURDAY FOR CAZ085.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST SUNDAY
ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR FOR CAZ080.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY FOR CAZ081.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 AM PST SATURDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST SATURDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
NSK/TRW/TRWThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ODOT sensor at Humbug Mountain recorded numerous gusts exceeding 57 mph between 11/0004 and 11/0448 PST. The peak gust was 71 mph, recorded at 11/0350 and 11/0405 PST. The Flynn Prairie RAWS reported a gust to 59 mph at 11/0513 PST.
The Squaw Peak RAWS recorded peak gusts to 84 mph at 11/0439 PST, 81 mph at 11/0539 PST, and 79 mph at 11/0639 PST. The Zim RAWS recorded a gust to 89 mph at 11/0639 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, January 2014
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: 484662, 484663.