National Weather Service Text Product Display

Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Medford, OR
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
000
CXUS56 KMFR 011742 CCA
CLAMFR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
630 AM PST TUE JAN 1 2013

...................................

...THE MEDFORD OR CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1911 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
 ................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             115   07/20/1946
 LOW              -10   12/13/1919
HIGHEST           107   08/04                         99  09/10
                                                          09/07
                                                          09/09
LOWEST             18   01/12                         16  12/22
AVG. MAXIMUM     68.2              68.0     0.2     66.1
AVG. MINIMUM     43.7              43.2     0.5     42.2
MEAN             55.9              55.6     0.3     54.1
DAYS MAX >= 90     66              53.9    12.1       55
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.6    -0.6        3
DAYS MIN <= 32     68              55.1    12.9       84
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        31.41   1996
 MINIMUM        10.42   1959
TOTALS          26.87             18.35    8.52    16.42
DAILY AVG.       0.07              0.05    0.02        T
DAYS >= .01       130             102.6    27.4       99
DAYS >= .10        66              50.9    15.1       52
DAYS >= .50        17               8.1     8.9        7
DAYS >= 1.00        3               1.6     1.4        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    2.68   11/29-30

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           24.1   1930
TOTALS            3.8               4.1    -0.3      2.7
SINCE 7/1         1.2               1.7    -0.5        T
DAYS >= TRACE      19               5.1    13.9       20
DAYS >= 1.0         1               1.6    -0.6        1

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    4182              4250     -68     4634
 SINCE 7/1       1552              1766    -214     1770
COOLING TOTAL     960               828     132      783
 SINCE 1/1        960               829     131      783

FREEZE DATES
EARLIEST        11/09
LATEST          03/23
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              3.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    38/140    DATE  12/20
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    48/150    DATE  12/20

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.40
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR          166
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             83
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY        117

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     63

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              4     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN               24     RAIN                      56
LIGHT RAIN              146     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       1
HEAVY SNOW                1     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW               16     SLEET                      0
FOG                     155     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     48
HAZE                     22


-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

THE YEAR OF 2012 WAS MARKED BY A DRY SUMMER SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE
EXTREMELY WET SEASONS OF SPRING AND FALL. WITH A TOTAL OF 26.87 OF
PRECIPITATION, THE YEAR OF 2012 WAS THE WETTEST YEAR SINCE 1998, AND
OVERALL WAS THE 7TH WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE EL NINO/LA NINA
PATTERN BEGAN AS A WEAK LA NINA EARLY IN THE YEAR AND THEN
TRANSITIONED TO NEUTRAL IN THE SPRING AND THEN REMAINED NEUTRAL
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR. THE NORTH PACIFIC/PACIFIC DECADAL
OSCILLATION INDEX REMAINED STRONGLY IN THE COOL PHASE THROUGH THE
YEAR. THIS HELPED THE PREFERRED STORM TRACK TO REMAIN PARKED OVER
THE REGION FOR MOST OF THE WET SEASON.

THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF JANUARY WERE DRY, A CONTINUATION OF THE DRY
PATTERN THAT HAD PREVAILED DURING THE LATTER HALF OF 2011. THE
PERSISTENT RIDGE THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING MOISTURE OUT OF
THE AREA FINALLY BROKE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, ALLOWING THE
STORM TRACK, AND THEREFORE WETTER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS, TO RETURN
TO THE REGION. THE WETTER AND COOLER WEATHER CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT
FEW MONTHS, EVENTUALLY CULMINATING IN MARCH BECOMING THE 7TH WETTEST
MARCH ON RECORD.

HIGH PRESSURE RETURNED IN APRIL AND MAY, BRINGING WARMER THAN NORMAL
TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DID PRODUCE A
GOOD DEAL OF PRECIPITATION WITHIN THE AREA, KEEPING THE WET PATTERN
GOING. JUNE MARKED A RETURN TO WET AND COOL WEATHER, WITH A NUMBER
OF PRECIPITATION PRODUCING SYSTEMS PUSHING INTO THE REGION. BY THE
END OF THE MONTH, MEDFORD HAD RECORDED NEARLY FOUR TIMES THE NORMAL
AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION FOR JUNE, WHICH BECAME THE 7TH WETTEST JUNE
ON RECORD.

A NUMBER OF WEAK SYSTEMS PASSED OVER THE MEDFORD AREA DURING JULY,
WHICH KEPT HOT TEMPERATURES OUT OF THE ROGUE VALLEY, BUT DID LITTLE
TO PROVIDE ANY MEANINGFUL PRECIPITATION. BY THE END OF THE MONTH,
THE COOL AND WET SPRING HAD FULLY TRANSITIONED TO A WARM AND HOT
SUMMER. THE DRY CONDITIONS PERSISTED THROUGH AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, AND
THE FIRST HALF OF OCTOBER. DURING THIS TIME, MEDFORD WENT A TOTAL OF
83 DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN, THE 11TH LONGEST DRY SPELL ON
RECORD.

ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES REMAINED ABOVE NORMAL, A DRAMATIC CHANGE IN
THE PRECIPITATION PATTERN OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER, AS A
NEARLY CONSTANT TRAIN OF WET SYSTEMS BEGAN TO MOVE INTO THE REGION.
AS OCTOBER CAME TO A CLOSE, MEDFORD WAS AGAIN ABOVE NORMAL FOR
MONTHLY PRECIPITATION, AND HAD ALSO MOVED TO ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR. THE WET PATTERN CONTINUED
THROUGH NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, AND BY THE END OF THE YEAR,
TEMPERATURES HAD GRADUALLY COOLED TO NEAR NORMAL VALUES.

THE HIGHEST PRESSURE RECORDED DURING THE YEAR WAS 30.60 INCHES OF
MERCURY ON JANUARY 28. THE LOWEST PRESSURE WAS 29.32 INCHES ON
MARCH 31.

RECORDS SET OR TIED IN 2012:

RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE:
89 ON APRIL 22
88 ON APRIL 23
95 ON MAY 13 (TIED)
73 ON NOVEMBER 4 (TIED)

RECORD LOWEST TEMPERATURE:
23 ON MARCH 7

RECORD HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE:
72 ON AUGUST 5
58 ON OCTOBER 15

24-HOUR RAINFALL:
0.78 INCHES ON MARCH 13
0.57 INCHES ON APRIL 11
0.56 INCHES ON JUNE 25
0.06 INCHES ON JULY 20
2.22 INCHES ON NOVEMBER 29

24-HOUR SNOWFALL:
2.0 INCHES ON FEBRUARY 29
0.6 INCHES ON DECEMBER 18

$$

BPN/BL
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
