mostly at higher elevations.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
One in a series of fronts brought high winds to parts of northern California...mostly at higher elevations.
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 12, 4:09 PM PST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
409 PM PST TUE JAN 12 2016
.DISCUSSION...THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL REMAIN ACTIVE WITH A SERIES
OF SYSTEMS TO AFFECT THE WESTERN STATES THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK.
A STORM WILL AFFECT OUR AREA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH THE
MAIN IMPACT SHIFTING FROM COASTAL HIGH SURF AND WIND THIS EVENING TO
SNOW LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING. A WIND ADVISORY
AND HIGH WIND WARNING REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE COAST...ROGUE AND
SHASTA VALLEYS...AND MUCH OF THE CASCADES AND THE EAST SIDE INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WAS ALSO ISSUED
FOR LATE THIS EVENING INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH THE MAJORITY OF
SNOWFALL ABOVE THE MAJOR PASSES AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET.
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL BE MODERATE THOUGH POTENTIALLY BRIEFLY
HEAVY AS A COLD FRONT TRAVERSES THE AREA WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING. SNOW LEVELS ARE NOW AROUND 7000 FEET AND
ARE FORECAST TO FALL TO AROUND 4000 TO 5000 FEET BY WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON BEFORE SHOWERS AND SNOW SHOWERS TAPER OFF INTO WEDNESDAY
EVENING. THUS...MOST OF THE MAJOR PASSES WILL RECEIVE JUST UP TO TWO
INCHES OF SNOW DURING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
LATER WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING A BRIEF PERIOD
OF RIDGING WILL PROVIDE MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS...PERHAPS A FEW
VERY LIGHT OVERRUNNING COASTAL SHOWERS AND OREGON CASCADE SNOW
FLURRIES.
ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL IMPACT OUR AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY
EVENING. IT WILL BEAR SOME SIMILARITY TO THE CURRENT SYSTEM.
BUT...IT WILL BE FASTER MOVING WITH WINDS NOT AS STRONG BUT
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE SLIGHTLY GREATER. PRECIPITATION
LOOKS TO BE FOCUSED UPON THE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
PERIOD. ALSO...SNOW LEVELS WILL BE LOWER THAN ON WEDNESDAY AT 3000
TO 4000 FEET. AS THE TIME DRAWS NEARER...THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY
ALSO WARRANT THE ISSUANCE OF WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES.
MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH REGARDS TO THE OVERALL
SYNOPTIC SETUP ON FRIDAY. A RIDGE WILL SET UP BRIEFLY EARLY
FRIDAY, YET WE SHOULD SEE ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE
ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DISAGREEMENT WITH
THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION BUT THE 18Z NAM IS TONING DOWN THE
PRECIPITATION FORECAST ON FRIDAY AND IS NOW MORE IN LINE WITH THE
OTHER MODELS. OVERALL MOISTURE AMOUNTS AND DECENT STRENGTH OF THE
850MB ONSHORE FLOW SHOULD KEEP RAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR THE WEST
SIDE DURING THE PERIOD.
AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ON DETAILS...ESPECIALLY SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY
NIGHT BECAUSE THE ECMWF DEPICTS A DRY PERIOD WHILE THE GFS SUGGESTS
WET. WE HAVE LEANED SLIGHTLY TOWARDS THE GFS BECAUSE OF DECENT
AGREEMENT AMONG GEFS MEMBERS...AND THUS WE HAVE 40-60% PRECIPITATION
CHANCES ALONG AND WEST OF THE CASCADES ON SUNDAY. ROUNDS OF
PRECIPITATION WILL COME THROUGH EVERY 12-24 HOURS INTO TUESDAY
NIGHT. SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE
PERIOD...SO PRECIPITATION WILL BE FOCUSED IN THE FAVORED
LOCATIONS...LIKE THE COAST SOUTH OF CAPE BLANCO...AND WESTERN AND
SOUTHERN SISKIYOU COUNTY. ONE SYSTEM DOES STAND OUT FROM THE OTHERS
IN TERMS OF MOISTURE TRANSPORT PER THE GFS OPERATIONAL MODEL...AND
THAT OCCURS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. MOST OF THE ENERGY IS
FOCUSED OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...BUT IF THE STORM TRACK SHIFTS
SOME...IT COULD MODOC AND SISKIYOU COUNTIES. WE'LL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR MODEL TRENDS WITH THIS FEATURE.
SNOW LEVELS WILL BE 4000 TO 5000 FEET SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THOUGH
LOCALLY LOWER SNOW LEVELS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNT SHASTA AREA
DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE SOUTHERLY FLOW AND THE DYNAMICS
OF EACH FRONT THAT MOVES THROUGH. SNOWPACK WILL LIKELY BUILD IN
THE HIGHEST TERRAIN OF THE CASCADES AND SISKIYOUS.
&&
.AVIATION...FOR THE 12/18Z TAF CYCLE. STRONG WINDS BOTH ALOFT
AND AT THE SURFACE WILL BE THE MAIN STORY INTO THIS EVENING,
ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE CASCADES, AND THIS WILL BRING AREAS OF LOW
LEVEL WIND SHEAR AND TURBULENCE TO MUCH OF THE AREA. SURFACE WINDS
WILL INCREASE AT THE COAST, ROSEBURG AND MEDFORD LATE THIS MORNING,
BUT SO WILL WINDS ALOFT. DOWNSLOPE WINDS AT MEDFORD ARE EXPECTED TO
KEEP RAIN AT BAY AND VFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD
BUT A BUMPY RIDE IS EXPECTED WITH VERY GUSTY WINDS. INCREASING SOUTH
WINDS AT LMT WILL ACCOMPANY VFR CONDITIONS AND PRECIPITATION WILL
HOLD OFF UNTIL LATE TONIGHT. -SK
&&
.MARINE...UPDATED 300 PM PST TUESDAY 12 JAN 2016...A STRONG LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS THIS EVENING. THIS
WILL BRING SOUTHERLY STORM FORCE WINDS TO AREAS OFFSHORE BETWEEN
10 AND 30 NM. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE THROUGH THE
EVENING. WINDS AND WAVES WILL TREND LOWER AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
WILL BUILD INTO THE WATERS LATE TONIGHT AND REMAIN THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. THEN A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL APPROACH THE WATERS EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING WITH INCREASING WINDS. THE MAJOR CONCERN IN THE
EXTENDED PERIOD IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR A VERY LARGE LONG PERIOD
WESTERLY SWELL TO ARRIVE THIS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS
RELATIVELY LOW FOR THIS SCENARIO...MODELS HAVE BECOME MORE
CONSISTENT IN SHOWING THIS SCENARIO BETWEEN RUNS. -SCHAAF
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR ORZ027-029>031.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR
ORZ030-031.
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PST
WEDNESDAY FOR ORZ027>029.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR ORZ021-022.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR ORZ026.
CA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ082-083-085.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR
CAZ085.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM PST
WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ080-082-083.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ081.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR CAZ084.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS
FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 AM PST THURSDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
HIGH SURF WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ356.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM PST
WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370-376.
GALE WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
PZZ350-356-370-376.
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR PZZ350.
STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR PZZ370-376.
DW/NSK/BMSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The KNF-98 RAWS recorded a gust to 62 mph at 12/1920 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2016
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: 611623.