Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Medford, OR
Issued by NWS Medford, OR
151 CXUS56 KMFR 011236 CCA CLMMFR CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR 436 AM PST MON JAN 01 2024 ................................... ...THE MEDFORD OR CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1911 TO 2023 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 72 12/14/1962 LOW -10 12/13/1919 HIGHEST 68 12/29 62 12/26 LOWEST 28 12/17 18 12/18 12/23 12/24 AVG. MAXIMUM 52.0 46.1 5.9 46.6 AVG. MINIMUM 37.1 32.6 4.5 32.5 MEAN 44.5 39.4 5.1 39.5 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.8 -0.8 1 DAYS MIN <= 32 10 15.6 -5.6 15 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 12.72 1964 TOTALS 2.22 3.53 -1.31 4.04 DAILY AVG. 0.07 0.11 -0.04 0.13 DAYS >= .01 17 14.4 2.6 16 DAYS >= .10 6 8.0 -2.0 8 DAYS >= .50 2 2.1 -0.1 3 DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.6 -0.6 1 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 0.78 12/02 TO 12/03 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 12.2 1972 TOTALS 0.0 0.9 -0.9 T SINCE 7/1 0.0 1.0 -1.0 MM DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 627 795 -168 784 SINCE 7/1 1472 1729 -257 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 1304 909 395 MM FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 09/13/1921 LATEST 06/12/1952 EARLIEST 10/28 LATEST 04/13 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 3.0 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 35/140 DATE 12/26 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 48/160 DATE 12/26 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.63 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 13 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 12 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 81 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 4 LIGHT RAIN 17 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0 LIGHT SNOW 1 SLEET 0 FOG 26 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 12 HAZE 2 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && ...MEDFORD OREGON WEATHER REVIEW: DECEMBER 2023... DECEMBER STARTED OFF WET WITH A SERIES OF ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION. THIS LED TO VERY HIGH SNOW LEVELS BUT SOME DECENT RAINFALL FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. MUCH OF THE RAINFALL WAS AFFECTED BY THE TERRAIN WITH THE RED MOUND RAWS SEEING OVER 9 INCHES OF RAIN IN A 24-HOUR PERIOD ENDING ON DECEMBER 3RD. MEANWHILE, BROOKINGS SAW OVER 7 INCHES OF RAIN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RAIN SHADOW FROM THE TERRAIN CAUSED MOST OF THE RAIN TO EVAPORATE BEFORE REACHING THE GROUND IN THE ROGUE VALLEY, AND THE MEDFORD ONLY SAW 0.74 INCHES. THE RAIN WOULD CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH CONTINUED HIGH SNOW LEVELS AS MEDFORD SAW AROUND A HALF AN INCH ON DECEMBER 7TH. THIS STORM CAUSED SOME FLOODING NEAR THE COAST. CONDITIONS LARGELY DRIED OUT AFTER THAT WITH PASSING SHOWERS IN UNSETTLED WEATHER LEAVING VERY LITTLE PRECIPITATION THROUGH DECEMBER 19TH. IN FACT, CONDITIONS COOLED OFF AND AIR LARGELY STAGNATED DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH WITH VALLEY AIR QUALITY SENSORS READING UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEN, ON THE 17TH, CONDITIONS BEGAN TO CHANGE AS A SERIES OF WEAK SYSTEMS PUSHED THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BRINGING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL, ALBEIT MINIMAL IN AMOUNTS TO MEDFORD. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILT IN JUST IN TIME FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO LOWER ONCE AGAIN AND THE GROUND TO DRY OUT. AFTER CHRISTMAS, ANOTHER SERIES OF STORMS APPROACHED THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, BUT THESE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS LARGELY REMAINED OFFSHORE. WHILE RAINFALL WOULD BE MEAGER, WINDS WOULD BE PARTICULARLY GUSTY IN THE VALLEYS AND ON THE COAST. MEDFORD SAW WIND GUSTS IN THE 40S ON BOTH DECEMBER 26TH, DECEMBER 27TH, AND DECEMBER 29TH AS A DYNAMIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BRUSHED BY THE AREA. THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALSO CAUSED HAVOC FOR BEACHGOERS WITH HIGH SURF ACROSS ALL OF OUR COASTLINES FOR THE BETTER PART OF A WEEK. AFTER A WEAK SYSTEM PASSED THROUGH ON THE 30TH BRINGING SOME LIGHT RAIN, THE PATTERN BRIEFLY CHANGED BACK TO A DRY ONE JUST IN TIME FOR THE NEW YEAR. OVERALL, THIS DECEMBER WAS THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD VIA THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE, WITH 2014 HOLDING THE RECORD FOR WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. WE ALSO DID SET A DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ON DECEMBER 29TH WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 68 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 61 SET IN 1937. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE GUSTY WINDS BLOWING DOWN THE MOUNTAINS CAUSED THE AIR TO WARM THROUGH A PROCESS CALLED ADIABATIC WARMING. THIS ALLOWED US TO BREAK THIS RECORD BEFORE SUNRISE. (WE REACHED 62 DEGREES BEFORE 7 AM. THE RECORD SETTING TEMPERATURE OF 68 OCCURRED AT 1254 PM.) -SCHAAF $$