Heavy rain and snow fell on areas where heavy snow was already on the ground, and drainage issues led to flooding on creeks in the area.
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 rain and snow fell on areas where heavy snow was already on the ground, and drainage issues led to flooding on creeks in the area.
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 8, 8:25 AM PST, 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Medford OR
825 AM PST Sun Jan 8 2017
.DISCUSSION...We made some quick precipitation updates for
Northern California based on observations, trends, and latest
model data. Precipitation is exceeding model output, especially
for the Mount Shasta City area, and we will be considering Flood
Warnings for that area. Communication with Caltrans suggests no
widespread flooding affecting roadways at this time, but
conditions still favor some urban and small stream flooding today,
for much of the forecast area. Areal Flood Watches at FFAMFR
continue through this evening.
The vast majority of temperatures are above freezing this morning,
so we don't expect any wintry precipitation problems with this
system.
Satellite-derived precipitable water (PW) imagery this morning
suggests 1.5 to 2 inch PW values impinging upon the northern
California coast this morning. A steady stream of moderate to
heavy precipitation will continue through this afternoon before
tapering off as a cold front moves inland tonight.
Windy conditions are expected to taper off some over the West Side
later this morning where areas just above the valleys have become
windy overnight. Further east, winds will remain gusty through the
day and it will remain a generally windy period through Wednesday
as strong west to southwest flow at the 700mb level continues.
Last but not least, as cold air arrives behind the front tonight,
an upper low will move in from the northwest and flow will shift
to more southwesterly, bringing moderate to heavy snow to areas
above 3000 feet in Northern California and Southern Oregon. A
Winter Storm Watch at WSWMFR has been issued for this.
Please see the previous discussion below for more details on the
heavy rain and upcoming heavy mountain snow.
&&
.AVIATION...08/12Z TAF CYCLE...From the Cascades west...Light rain
showers with areas of MVFR cigs and local IFR cigs/vsbys early this
morning. Steady rain and widespread MVFR with higher terrain
obscured and strong southerly low level winds will develop between
15Z and 18Z this morning and continue into Monday morning...with
heavier areas of precipitation producing periods of IFR conditions
from this morning into this evening.
East of the Cascades....Light precipitation with a mix of MVFR and
VFR conditions early this morning will become mainly MVFR with
steadier light to moderate rain around 15Z to 18Z and include areas
of higher terrain obscured. Precipitation will taper to light
showers late tonight with snow levels falling to valley floors into
Monday morning.
&&
.MARINE...Updated 500 AM PST Sunday 8 January 2017...A frontal
passage will bring strong southerly winds today including gales this
morning from the southern outer waters to around Cape Blanco. Steep
to very steep seas this morning will reach a peak early this
afternoon but remain high into Monday with a mix of dominant wind
wave and a fresh southwest swell. Another episode of gale force
winds is possible with the next front late Monday morning into
Monday evening. High and very steep seas are likely to reach another
peak late Monday night. Confidence is high that very steep and
hazardous seas will persist through Wednesday. High pressure will
then move in with diminishing seas Wednesday evening into Friday.
-DW
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 309 AM PST Sun Jan 8 2017/
DISCUSSION...Cold ground and all the snow remaining in the west
side valleys has allowed temperatures to drop back to near
freezing this morning, and we've also had dense fog develop.
Reports indicate it is icy in spots out there this morning, so we
hoisted a freezing fog advisory (PDXNPWMFR). As the next front
nears, winds will pick up and mix out both the fog and the cool
temperatures, and this could occur at any moment, but probably by
dawn at the latest. There is some small concern that as rain
arrives this morning, there could be a brief period of freezing
rain in the valleys due to continued cold ground and cold surface
temperatures, but confidence was not high enough to issue any
winter headlines. We did mention this in the freezing fog advisory
as something to be on the lookout for.
Rain can be seen on radar spreading north through northern
California right now as the next frontal system offshore nears
and pulls ample moisture up through the Sacramento Valley. Models
remain consistent in showing widespread moderate to heavy rain
across our area today, and a flood watch remains in effect across
our southern tier of counties. Flood advisories will likely be
needed eventually today, and the most likely location to need a
flood warning today will be over central Siskiyou County where the
rain will be heaviest and snowmelt most efficient. We will also
see gusty winds through the Shasta Valley and across the east
side. Guidance shows winds just short of advisories except across
portions of southern Lake and Modoc Counties where a wind advisory
is already in place.
As the cold front moves in tonight, snow levels will fall to
around 3000 feet. At the same time, plenty of moisture will
continue to stream onshore both in the wake of the departing front
and also in advance of another frontal system Monday night into
Tuesday. The result will be very heavy snow over the coastal
mountains, Siskiyous, Cascades, and in the Shasta area above 3000
feet. Winter storm watches (PDXWSWMFR) were hoisted in these
areas for Monday into Tuesday. Below 3000 feet, we'll be dealing
with more heavy rain and continued flooding concerns.
If all that weren't enough, another extremely wet and mild system
will plow in later Tuesday into Wednesday bringing another round
of heavy rain and high snow levels. Although the breaks between
systems get longer later this week, it looks like the parade of
frontal systems may just keep coming. -Wright
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Wind Advisory from noon today to 8 PM PST this evening for
ORZ030-031.
Winter Storm Watch from Monday morning through late Monday night
ABOVE 3000 FEET for for ORZ025-027-028.
Flood Watch through this evening for ORZ021-022-024-028.
Flood Watch through this evening for ORZ023-026.
Winter Storm Watch from late tonight through Tuesday morning
ABOVE 3000 FEET for for ORZ024.
CA...Wind Advisory from noon today to 8 PM PST this evening for
CAZ085.
Flood Watch through this evening for CAZ080.
Flood Watch through this evening for CAZ081>083-085.
Winter Storm Watch from Monday morning through Tuesday morning
ABOVE 3000 FEET for for CAZ082-083.
Winter Storm Watch from late tonight through Tuesday morning
ABOVE 3000 FEET for for CAZ080.
Pacific Coastal Waters...Hazardous Seas Warning until 10 PM PST Wednesday for
PZZ350-356-370-376.
Gale Warning until 10 AM PST this morning for PZZ370-376.
NSK/TRW/DWPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
500 AM PST SUN JAN 8 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 WNW HARBOR 42.05N 124.27W
01/08/2017 M1.15 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
.
&&
NWS MEDFORD OR
IRIS SYSTEMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Caltrans reported water blocking portions of Highway 97. A rock slide was also blocking most of Highway 96 two miles upriver from Beaver Creek.
At 08/2102 PST, law enforcement and spotters reported flooding near Adin California. Water was flowing across streets and into some homes. Flooding was also reported on the highway between Alturas and Canby and on highway 395 1SSW of Davis Creek. One to two inches of rain fell over the area this day onto heavy snow already on the ground. The snow clogged drains and other outlets, leading to flooding on Ash Creek and Dry Creek. A mudslide on highway 299 at Adin Pass reduced the road to one lane.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2017
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: 668141, 668140.