A strong front brought high winds to parts of southwest and south central Oregon.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 parts of southwest and south central 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 2, 3:32 PM PST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
332 PM PST WED DEC 2 2015
.DISCUSSION....THINGS LOOK STILL ON TRACK WITH THE FIRST MAJOR
WINTER SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA...ALBEIT WITH SLIGHTLY SLOWER
ONSET. WINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHES. THE
GFS IS FINALLY COMING IN LINE WITH THE ECMEF AND THE NAM WITH A
STRONG DEEPENING SURFACE LOW SWINGING UP THE COAST TOMORROW
MORNING. THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS IS THE POSSIBILITY OF
EXPLOSIVE CYCLOGENESIS AS THE WARM FLOW IS INCREASED IN THE
COASTAL JET. A SIMILAR PATTERN OCCURED AROUND TEN YEARS AGO WITH
GUSTS TO 80 MPH TOPPLING TRUCKS ON 101. HOWEVER...THIS WILL JUST
BE SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHES
TOMORROW...AND WINDS IN THIS RANGE ARE ONLY EXPECTED AT CAPE
BLANCO AT THIS TIME. MODEL SOUNDINGS AGREE THAT SNOW LEVELS IN
SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO NEAR OR
BELOW 3500 FEET BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...AND WITH THE HEAVY PRECIP
RATES THIS MAKES SENSE. WITH THE SNOW STARTING INITIALLY WET IT
MAY STICK TO TREES...AND WITH THE STRONG WINDS THE INCREASED
SURFACE AREA WILL INCREASE THE CHANCES OF TREES TOPPLING. 700 MB
WINDS ARE INDICTED IN THE 80 KT RANGE AND HAVE ADDED THE CASCADES
TO THE WIND WARNING AREA. THE SAME CONDITIONS WITH THE INITIALLY
WET SNOW WILL OCCUR IN THE CASCADES WITH THIS SYSTEM. DECREASING
SHOWERS LINGER FRIDAY WITH A BRIEF BREAK IN THE ACTION BEFORE THE
NEXT SYSTEM ROLLS IN SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS ALMOST AS STRONG
AS TOMORROWS...BUT IS EXPECTED TO LINGER FOR A LONGER TIME. SVEN
LONG-TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A WET AND WINDY SYSTEM IS
EXPECTED ON SUNDAY...WITH SNOW LEVELS ABOUT 5000 FEET SO SNOWPACK ON
HIGH TERRAIN IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE WITH THIS STORM. MODEL
AGREEMENT IS MODERATE TO GOOD ON THIS SYSTEM...WITH PRECIPITATION
DIMINISHING LATE SUNDAY. MODELS DIFFER ON WHAT HAPPENS
NEXT...WHETHER IT WILL REMAIN DRY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT OR A FAST-
MOVING SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL BRING MORE PRECIPITATION TO THE
FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY. THOUGH THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES
AMONGST GEFS MEMBERS WEDNESDAY...THE CONSENSUS IS FOR SNOW LEVELS TO
BE RATHER HIGH AT 7000 FEET OR HIGHER WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A STORM ON
WEDNESDAY...AND THEN FALLING SHARPLY TO 5000 FEET OR LOWER WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 02/18Z TAF CYCLE...A STRONG STORM IS APPROACHING
THE COAST TODAY AND HIGH WINDS WILL IMPACT MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FIRST...LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR (LLWS) WILL
AFFECT COASTAL TERMINALS THIS AFTERNOON WITH GENERALLY LIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS AT THE SURFACE AND 40-60 KT WINDS AT ABOUT 2000
FEET. LLWS WILL AFFECT INLAND TERMINALS WEST OF THE CASCADES THIS
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.
STRONG SURFACE WINDS ARE EXPECTED AT THE COAST THIS EVENING AND THE
SHASTA VALLEY AND EAST OF THE CASCADES EARLY THURSDAY MORNING INTO
THURSDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG WINDS WILL SURFACE IN WEST SIDE VALLEYS
OCCASIONALLY OVERNIGHT INTO TOMORROW.
AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WILL ACCOMPANY THE
MODERATE PRECIPITATION TONIGHT...AND MORE SO THE MODERATE TO
HEAVY PRECIPITATION THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE WORST CONDITIONS WILL
LIKELY BE AT THE COAST AND OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THURSDAY
AFTERNOON. HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE NEAR MOUNT SHASTA CITY THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND VISIBILITIES WILL BE SHARPLY REDUCED IN THE
MOUNTAINS TOMORROW AFTERNOON. LASTLY...FREEZING LEVELS WILL DROP
SHARPLY BEHIND THE FRONT THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SK
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 230 PM PST WEDNESDAY 2 DEC 2015...AN ACTIVE
PATTERN IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 7-10 DAYS WITH A SERIES OF FRONTS
MOVING THROUGH THE WATERS. WINDS AND SEAS INCREASE THROUGH THE
EVENING AS A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES THE COASTAL WATERS.
MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING A DEEPENING LOW INSIDE OF 130W
LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THEREFORE, STORM FORCE WINDS AND
EXTREMELY HEAVY SEAS ARE VERY LIKELY BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING, AND
PERSISTING INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE MODELS DO SUGGEST A WEAK OFFSHORE
COMPONENT, SO IT IS POSSIBLE WINDS MAY NOT BE AS STRONG RIGHT ALONG
THE COAST, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF CAPE BLANCO. WINDS AND SEAS WILL
DECREASE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES
INLAND AND WEAKENS. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE AND DECREASING WINDS ARE
EXPECTED FRIDAY, BUT A WEST SWELL WILL INCREASE RESULTING IN AT LEAST
SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS. THE NEXT FRONT WILL ARRIVE SATURDAY BRINGING
ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SEAS.
-BPN/PETRUCELLI
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 AM TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR
ORZ030-031.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ021-022.
FLOOD WATCH FROM 10 PM PST THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR ORZ022.
HIGH SURF WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ027-028.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
FOR ORZ025.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY
FOR ORZ026.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY
FOR ORZ027-028.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR ORZ029.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 AM TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR CAZ085.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY
FOR CAZ081.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR CAZ083-084.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST FRIDAY FOR
CAZ080>083.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...STORM WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 1 AM PST THURSDAY FOR
PZZ350-356-370.
SVENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
456 PM PST WED DEC 2 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0330 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW OBRIEN 42.06N 123.73W
12/02/2015 M1.44 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORT ENDING AT 3:30 PM.
ALSO ESTIMATES THAT 1 INCH OF RAINFALL FROM
STORM BEGINNING TO 7:45 AM. OBSERVER
LOCATION 1.6 MILES FROM HWY 199 IN O BRIEN.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
457 PM PST WED DEC 2 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0330 PM HEAVY RAIN KERBY 42.19N 123.65W
12/02/2015 M1.30 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR REPORT ENDING AT 3:30 PM. STILL
RAINING BIG DROPS. OBSERVER LOCATION MIDDLE
OF KERBY BEHIND STONE FRONT TAVERN.
&&
BSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Squaw Peak RAWS recorded numerous gusts exceeding 74 mph during this interval. The peak gust was 107 mph at 03/0839 PST.
The NOS-NWLON at Port Orford recorded a gust to 58 mph at 03/1118 PST and a gust to 59 mph at 03/0942 PST. A spotter reported trees down on Highway 101 between Langlois and Bandon. A spotter 4WNW Sixes reported a gust to 75 mph at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.
A spotter 4SW Gold Beach reported a gust to 60 mph at 03/1230 PST. A spotter 1SE Brookings reported a gust to 68 mph 03/1400 PST. The Brookings city manager reported downed fences, broken window panes, and other damage. A member of the public 5NNW Brookings reported a 60 foot noble fir went down between 03/0200 PST and 03/0300 PST.
The Calimus RAWS recorded wind gusts exceeding 58 mph continuously during this interval. The peak gust was 70 mph recorded at 03/1200 PST.
A spotter 5N Keno reported a gust to 83 mph at 03/1135 PST. The Worden Agrimet recorded a gust to 64 mph at 03/1100 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: 609663, 609659, 609661, 609668, 609665.