Another in a series of storms brought high winds to portions of southwest and south central Oregon.
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.
Another in a series of storms brought high winds to portions 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 5, 10:28 PM PST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1028 PM PST SAT DEC 5 2015
.UPDATE...JUST SENT AN UPDATE TO EXTEND THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY
ALONG THE COAST UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY. SEAS AND CORRESPONDING COASTAL
SURF WILL LIKELY REMAIN HIGH UNTIL WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT
DIE DOWN EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. -WRIGHT
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 06/06Z TAF CYCLE...WIND SPEED SHEAR WILL BE
THE MAIN CONCERN TONIGHT AT THE COAST, INCLUDING NORTH BEND AND
ROSEBURG. WIND SHEAR WAS ALSO ADDED TO THE KMFR TAF FOR TONIGHT.
WHILE HIGHER WIND SPEEDS AT THE SURFACE ARE LIMITING SPEED SHEAR,
A DIRECTIONAL COMPONENT IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS SOUTH-SOUTHWEST
WINDS ALOFT INCREASE TONIGHT. VFR CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER
TONIGHT WITH RAIN AND MVFR CIGS SPREADING INLAND AND MOUNTAIN
OBSCURATION INCREASING. SOME THE WORST CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN
THE MOUNT SHASTA CITY AREA WHERE UPSLOPING WINDS AND SNOWFALL
TONIGHT WILL CREATE VLIFR CONDITIONS. -WRIGHT
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 822 PM PST SAT DEC 5 2015/
DISCUSSION...NO CHANGES TO ANY OF THE HEADLINES THIS EVENING. AN
UPDATE WAS JUST SENT, MAINLY TO ADD ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE
WATERS AND COAST TONIGHT. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL DOZEN STRIKES
WITH THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS THIS EVENING, AND MODELS INDICATE THIS
INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST AS THE TROUGH SWINGS INTO THE COAST
OVERNIGHT.
WINDS CONTINUE TO RAMP UP THIS EVENING AS THE FRONT APPROACHES.
WE ARE ALREADY GETTING GUSTS NEAR 70 MPH AT SQUAW PEAK, WELL INTO
THE 50S ALONG THE COAST, AND AS HIGH AS 55 MPH AT WEED. BUOY 46015
(15 MILES OFF CAPE BLANCO) IS GUSTING WELL INTO STORM FORCE, AND
SO FAR, WE'VE HAD GUSTS TO 32 MPH AT THE MEDFORD AIRPORT. THE
MYRIAD WIND WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES COVER ALL THIS WELL.
THE FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH OUR AREA TONIGHT WITH WINDS DECREASING
BEHIND IT. EVERYBODY OUGHT TO SEE SOME RAIN WITH THIS FRONT, BUT
LATEST NAM AND RAP GUIDANCE WOULD INDICATE WE GET LITTLE TO NONE
IN MEDFORD. I THINK THIS IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT ANOTHER FRONT IS
RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THIS ONE, AND AS A RESULT, THE WINDS NEVER
REALLY SWING AROUND TO WESTERLY BEHIND THE FIRST FRONT. HOWEVER, I
SEE NO REASON TO REMOVE RAIN ENTIRELY FROM MEDFORD BASED ON THIS,
BUT WITH DOWNSLOPING, IT WILL TAKE A WHILE, AND IT WON'T BE A BIG
DELUGE IN THE ROGUE VALLEY ONCE IT DOES GET HERE. -WRIGHT
MARINE...UPDATED 300 PM PST SATURDAY 5 DEC 2015...THE LATEST ASCAT
PASS AT 19Z SHOED WINDS NEAR 42 KTS OVER MOST OF THE OUTER WATERS.
THE LATEST OBSERVATION AT BUOY 15 SHOWS WIND GUST NEAR 45 KTS WITH A
PEAK GUST TO 47 KTS. CURRENT HEADLINES LOOK GOOD AND NO CHANGES WILL
BE NEEDED. THE MAIN CONCERN INTO TONIGHT WILL BE STRONG WINDS VERY
STEEP SEAS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE WATERS LATE TONIGHT,THEN
MOVE INLAND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. A RELATIVE BREAK IN THE ACTION IS
EXPECTED SUNDAY MORNING WITH WINDS AND SEAS BRIEFLY DIMINISHING,
THEN ANOTHER STRONG WARM FRONT WILL ARRIVE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND
WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF GALES AND VERY LARGE LONG PERIOD
WESTERLY SWELL. A SERIES OF FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT THE WATERS
FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK. -PETRUCELLI
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 312 PM PST SAT DEC 5 2015/
SHORT TERM...A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS WILL TAKE AIM AT THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THIS IS DUE TO A
VERY STRONG AND PERSISTENT CENTRAL PACIFIC JET STREAM, WHICH WILL
REACH SPEEDS EXCEEDING 160KT BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. AT TIMES OVER THE
NEXT FEW DAYS, WE'LL SEE AN EXTENSION OF THE JET INTO THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. THE FIRST SYSTEM ON THE NOSE OF THE JET...A STRONG
COLD FRONT OFFSHORE THIS AFTERNOON...IS BRINGING STRONG GALE TO
STORM FORCE WINDS TO THE COASTAL WATERS ALONG WITH VERY HIGH SEAS.
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY (CFWMFR) IS OUT UNTIL LATE THIS EVENING
SOUTH OF CAPE BLANCO AS THE SOUTH WINDS PILE WATER UP ALONG
SOUTH-FACING PORTS, BEACHES AND JETTIES. THE FRONT WILL MOVE
ONSHORE LATER TONIGHT, THEN INLAND ON SUNDAY. THE MAIN INLAND
WEATHER IMPACT FROM THE FRONT WILL BE WIND. THIS SYSTEM WON'T BE
QUITE AS WINDY AS THE ONE A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, BUT STILL WARNING-
WORTHY IN MANY AREAS. WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO SURFACE HERE IN THE
ROGUE VALLEY AND EXPECT SOME GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH OVERNIGHT INTO
SUNDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY AT THE SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY.
NUMEROUS WIND HEADLINES ARE IN EFFECT, SO PLEASE SEE NPWMFR FOR
MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MODEL DATA TODAY SUGGESTED ADVISORY LEVEL
SNOW POTENTIAL ABOVE 3500 FEET IN PORTIONS OF SISKIYOU COUNTY
OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THINK MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION
FALLS AS RAIN IN MOUNT SHASTA CITY, BUT IT MAY MIX WITH AND CHANGE
TO SNOW FOR A WHILE SUNDAY MORNING. THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE FOR
ACCUMULATING SNOW UP ON BLACK BUTTE/SNOWMAN'S SUMMITS AND SOME OF
THE OTHER PASSES IN WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY, SO HAVE ISSUED A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THERE (WSWMFR).
RAINFALL FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL BE HEAVIEST ALONG THE SOUTHWEST
COAST...THE ADJACENT COAST RANGES...AND EXTREME WESTERN SISKIYOU
COUNTY WHERE 1-3 INCHES IS LIKELY. WEST SIDE VALLEY RAIN AMOUNTS
WILL BE IN THE 0.20-0.40 OF AN INCH RANGE.
THERE WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK BETWEEN SYSTEMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING, BUT A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT
INTO MONDAY. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND WIND TO THE
COAST WITH GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE INTERIOR. HOWEVER,
SNOW IMPACTS WILL BE NEGLIGIBLE SINCE SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE ABOVE 8000 FEET BY MONDAY AFTERNOON.
YET ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE LATER TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT.
WITH ALL THE RAIN EXPECTED WITH THESE SYSTEMS, A FLOOD POTENTIAL
OUTLOOK FOR RAPID RISES ON STREAMS, CREEKS AND RIVERS (ESFMFR) WAS
ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF CURRY, COOS AND JOSEPHINE COUNTIES. MODEL
DEPICTIONS SHOW SOME PLACES ALONG THE COAST RECEIVING MORE THAN 10
INCHES OF RAINFALL THROUGH LATE NEXT WEEK. SPILDE
LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...I WILL FOCUS ON SNOW
LEVELS AND EXPECTED IMPACTS TO SNOWPACK DURING THE EXTENDED. THIS
COULD BE THE BEGINNING TO A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF BUILDING SNOWPACK
OVER THE REGION...WHICH HAS BEEN DEALING WITH A SNOW DROUGHT THE
PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE 2 FEET OF SNOW DEPTH HAS BEEN MEASURED
AT CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK ON THIS DATE. THE LAST TIME THAT
OCCURRED WAS DEC 5, 2012. WEDNESDAY WILL FEATURE THE TAIL END OF
ABOUT A TWO-DAY PERIOD OF HIGH SNOW LEVELS...ABOVE 7000 FEET. AN
UPPER TROUGH PATTERN DEVELOPS OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC OCEAN ON
WEDNESDAY AND 850MB TEMPERATURES...A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF HOW
WARM/COLD THE AIR MASS IS...BEGIN TO DROP. THOUGH SPECIFIC DETAILS
OF THE WEATHER PATTERN LATE IN THE WEEK DIFFER...THE GEFS MEMBERS
AGREE ON A COOLER REGIME AND LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. THE LATEST
OPERATIONAL GFS SHOWS A 48-HOUR PRECIPITATION TOTAL OF 2 INCHES FROM
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH COULD TRANSLATE
TO A FEW FEET OF SNOW ABOVE 6000 FEET. THEN...WITH THE CLIMATE
PREDICTION CENTER SHOWING ENHANCED CHANCES FOR ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON WEEK 2...THIS
SNOWPACK COULD BUILD FURTHER.
SHIFTING GEARS FROM THE SNOWPACK SITUATION TO THE DETAILS OF THE
EXTENDED...WEDNESDAY FEATURES A COLD FRONT SWINGING
THROUGH...DROPPING SNOW LEVELS AND BRINGING MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION TO THE COAST AND CASCADES. OPERATIONAL MODEL AGREEMENT
IS GOOD ON THIS EVENT. DETAILS ARE A LITTLE MORE FUZZY ON THURSDAY
BUT THE IDEA OF COLD TROUGHING AND PLENTY OF SHOWERS...WITH UPSLOPE
ENHANCEMENT OVER THE CASCADES...IS AGREED UPON BY THE EC AND GFS.
SNOW LEVELS ON THURSDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE BELOW 5000 FEET. A
RELATIVE BREAK IN PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY BUT MORE
PRECIPITATION IS NOT FAR BEHIND AS THE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO
BE ACTIVE.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR ORZ030-031.
HIGH WIND WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR
ORZ030-031.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
HIGH WIND WATCH FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR
ORZ021-022.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR ORZ023>026.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR ORZ029.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR CAZ085.
HIGH WIND WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR
CAZ085.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST SUNDAY ABOVE 3500 FEET
FOR FOR CAZ080-082.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR CAZ084.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM PST SUNDAY FOR CAZ081-082.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...GALE WATCH FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR PZZ356.
STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WATCH FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON FOR PZZ350-356-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SUNDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Squaw Peak RAWS reported a gust to 76 mph at 06/0039 PST.
The NOS-NWLON at Port Orford reported a gust to 69 mph at 06/0212 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: 609702, 609701.