Heavy rains caused the Coquille River to flood on these dates.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Heavy rains caused the Coquille River to flood on these dates.
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 17, 4:13 PM PST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
413 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
UPDATED THE MARINE AND AVIATION SECTIONS
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...THE COLD FRONT THAT
WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND WIND THIS
EVENING AND TONIGHT LIES JUST OFF OUR COAST. THE WARM FRONT HAS
LIFTED TO THE NORTH, AND WITH IT, SNOW LEVELS HAVE RISEN AND MUCH
OF THE HEAVIER RAIN HAS COME TO AN END FOR MOST OF THE AREA.
HOWEVER, THE PRE-FRONTAL BAND OF RAIN AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT HAS
ALREADY STARTED TO MOVE ONSHORE AT THE COAST, AND THIS WILL ONLY
BECOME HEAVIER THROUGH THE EVENING. WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE AHEAD
OF THE FRONT, AND FORECAST PRESSURE GRADIENTS SUGGEST THAT WINDS
IN THE SHASTA VALLEY AND MUCH OF THE EAST SIDE WILL REACH WIND
ADVISORY CRITERIA, WHILE ALONG THE COAST AND THE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE
PORTIONS OF THE EAST SIDE WILL HAVE AT LEAST GUSTS THAT REACH HIGH
WIND WARNING PARAMETERS.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE SIGNIFICANT WITH THIS SYSTEM, AND THOUGH
THEY MIGHT NOT STACK UP TO SOME OF THE PREVIOUS SYSTEMS THIS
MONTH, THE SATURATED SOILS AND BANKFULL RIVERS AND STREAMS GIVE
CAUSE FOR CONCERN. WITH THE MAJORITY OF THIS NEW RAINFALL LIKELY
TO BECOME RUN- OFF, WATER LEVELS ARE LIKELY TO REACT QUICKLY. HAVE
THEREFORE UPGRADED THE AREAL FLOOD WATCH TO A WARNING, AS SOME
REPORTS OF HIGH STREAMS HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED, AND THE BULK OF THE
RAIN HAS YET TO DO SO ITSELF. SEVERAL MAIN STREAM RIVERS REMAIN IN
WATCH STATUS, ALTHOUGH FLOODING IS LIKELY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE
COQUILLE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.
SNOW LEVELS HAVE RISEN TO ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR MOST AREAS,
ALTHOUGH SOME LOCATIONS OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND EAST OF THE
CASCADES COULD STILL SEE SOME SNOWFLAKES THIS AFTERNOON. BEHIND
THE FRONT, SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP QUICKLY TO AROUND 3000 FEET OR
LOWER, BUT THIS WOULD BE EXPECTED DURING THE PERIOD OF SHOWERS,
AND NOT DURING THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION. THEREFORE, THE HIGH
PEAKS WILL SEE HEAVY SNOW ONCE AGAIN, WHILE THE PASSES SHOULD ONLY
PICK UP A FEW INCHES.
THE FRONT SHOULD PASS COMPLETELY THROUGH THE AREA BY LATE FRIDAY
MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON, AND WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH AS PASSAGE
OCCURS. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE COLD POOL OF
AIR ALOFT PRODUCES WEAK INSTABILITY. THIS WILL BE QUICKLY FOLLOWED
BY THE NEXT, ALTHOUGH MUCH WEAKER, FRONTAL SYSTEM SUNDAY MORNING.
SNOW LEVELS WILL BEGIN AT AROUND 2000 FEET SUNDAY MORNING, BUT
RISE TO ABOVE 4000 FEET AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. WINDS WILL BE
MUCH WEAKER, ALTHOUGH STILL BREEZY, AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL NOT
BE AS EXTREME. SHOWERS WILL THEN CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.
-BPN
.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...THE FOCUS OF THE LONG TERM
FORECAST IS ON ITS FIRST 48 HOURS. THE 12Z GFS AND 12Z ECMWF ARE
IN EXCELLENT THOUGH NOT PERFECT AGREEMENT ON A STORMY FORECAST
FOR MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AND QUITE CLOSE TO THE FORECAST
INDICATED BY THEIR PREVIOUS RUN. THE FORECAST LEANS TOWARD THE
WETTER GFS WITH A BLEND TO THE SLIGHTLY FASTER ARRIVAL OF THE
ECMWF. A STRONG...VERY WET WARM FRONT IS FORECAST TO BRING HEAVY
RAIN TO THE COAST BY MID TO LATE MONDAY MORNING WITH MODERATE TO
HEAVY PRECIPITATION SPREADING INLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS IN THE 24 HOUR PERIOD ARE
EXPECTED WEST OF THE CASCADES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE COAST AND
NEAR THE COASTAL RANGE WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO CREATE OR EXACERBATE FLOODING WEST OF THE
CASCADES...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST. THE MOST UNCERTAINTY...BASED
UPON THE TIMING OF THE FRONT...IS REGARDING HOW QUICKLY SNOW
LEVELS WILL RISE ON MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO RISE FROM
AROUND 4000 FT MSL ON MONDAY MORNING TO AROUND 6500 FT MSL LATE
MONDAY NIGHT. THUS...A HEAVY SNOWFALL IS LIKELY IN THE HIGH
COUNTRY BUT THE IMPACT ON THE MAJOR HIGHWAY PASSES WILL LIKELY NOT
BE AS SIGNIFICANT AS PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN OR SNOW RELATIVELY
QUICKLY CHANGING TO RAIN.
THE FORECAST LEANS TOWARD THE STRONGER GFS SOLUTION REGARDING THE
TRAILING COLD FRONT ON TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS ARE
FORECAST TO FALL BELOW 5000 FEET DOWN TO AROUND 3000 FEET MSL
ON TUESDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF MERELY GENERATES AROUND ANOTHER HALF
AN INCH TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAINFALL AT THE COAST DURING
TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WHILE THE GFS SOLUTION IS A MUCH MORE
SIGNIFICANT TWO TO THREE INCHES.
MODEL AGREEMENT DIMINISHES BEYOND TUESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS GENERAL
AGREEMENT THAT THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN ACTIVE WITH A WET WESTERLY
FLOW AND VERY BRIEF BREAKS BETWEEN SYSTEMS INTO CHRISTMAS.
HOWEVER...THERE IS LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING...TRACK AND
STRENGTH OF ADDITIONAL FRONTS. THESE FRONTS ARE LIKELY TO BE
LESS INTENSE BUT COLDER THAN THE MONDAY/TUESDAY SYSTEM WITH SNOW
LEVELS BELOW THE MAJOR PASSES. /DW
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 18/00Z TAF CYCLE...THE MAIN THREAT TO
AVIATION IN THE NEXT 6-9 HOURS IS POTENTIAL LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR
AT KOTH AND KRBG. STRONG SOUTH WINDS OF 40-60 KT EXIST AT ABOUT
2000 FT AGL WITH LIGHTER WINDS AT THE SURFACE. THIS THREAT WILL
END AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INLAND AFTER 09Z. THE FRONT WILL BRING
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ALONG THE COAST WITH LIGHTER RAIN INLAND.
MVFR CIGS WITH TERRAIN OBSCURED WILL PREVAIL ALONG AND WEST OF THE
CASCADES WITH VFR CIGS FOR A TIME SOUTH OF THE UMPQUA DIVIDE (KMFR
WILL HAVE A RAIN SHADOW FOR A WHILE TONIGHT)...BUT RAIN SHOULD
RETURN TOWARD MORNING.
EAST SIDE AREAS WILL HAVE MOSTLY VFR WITH PARTIAL TERRAIN
OBSCURATION. MVFR CIGS WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT WITH RAIN OR SNOW
MOVING BACK IN FRIDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME SHOWERY
BEHIND THE FRONT WEST OF THE CASCADES LATER SATURDAY MORNING OR
AFTERNOON. SPILDE
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 400 PM PST THURSDAY 17 DEC 2015...SOUTH WINDS
WILL BECOME VERY STRONG THIS EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT
WILL MOVE ONSHORE LATE TONIGHT. WINDS WILL REACH STORM FORCE FROM
GOLD BEACH NORTHWARD OUT TO ABOUT 30 NM WITH GALES OVER THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA. WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE LATE TONIGHT AND ON
FRIDAY...BUT A PERSISTENT MODERATE WEST TO NORTHWEST SWELL WILL
CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER STRONG FRONT WILL MOVE INTO
THE WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR GALES. MORE
FRONTS WILL KEEP PERIODS OF STRONG WINDS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH
THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. SPILDE
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR ORZ021>024.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST FRIDAY
FOR ORZ030-031.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST FRIDAY
FOR CAZ085.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST FRIDAY FOR
CAZ081.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY
FOR PZZ356.
STORM WARNING UNTIL 1 AM PST FRIDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 1 AM PST FRIDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
MAS/BPN/DWPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
416 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 ESE LANGLOIS 42.91N 124.41W
12/17/2015 M5.11 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
OBSERVER LOCATION 2 MILES EAST OF 101.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
417 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 NNE LANGLOIS 42.94N 124.45W
12/17/2015 M4.09 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR TOTAL ENDING AT 4:00 PM IS 4.79
OBSERVER LOCATION 0.5 N OF LANGLOIS.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
433 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM HEAVY RAIN PORT ORFORD 42.75N 124.49W
12/17/2015 M1.42 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL DURATION 4 HOURS... OBSERVER
LOCATION RIGHT IN PORT ORFORD.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
434 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 PM HEAVY RAIN 4 NNE TAKILMA 42.11N 123.58W
12/17/2015 M1.27 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR TOTAL ENDING AT 3:00 PM. OBSERVER
LOCATION NEAR JCT. OF HOLLAND LOOP & DICK
GRG.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
505 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM HEAVY RAIN 5 NNW WILDERVILLE 42.46N 123.49W
12/17/2015 M0.75 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL DURATION 12 HOURS... OBSERVER
LOCATION 17 MI WEST OF TOWN.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
538 PM PST THU DEC 17 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0530 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW OBRIEN 42.06N 123.73W
12/17/2015 M3.75 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL DURATION 30 HOURS... OBSERVER
LOCATION 1.6 MILES FROM HWY 199 IN O BRIEN.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Coquille River at Coquille exceeded the flood stage of 21.0 feet at 17/2045 PST, crested above moderate flood stage at 24.22 feet at 18/2300 PST, then fell below flood stage at 21/0945 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, December 2015
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: 609963.