Climatological Report (Monthly) Issued by NWS Medford, OR
000
CXUS56 KMFR 021307
CLMMFR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
606 AM PDT MON OCT 02 2023
...................................
...THE MEDFORD OR CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 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 110 09/02/1988
LOW 29 09/30/1950
09/26/1934
09/26/1926
HIGHEST 100 09/15 107 09/06
LOWEST 43 09/21 46 09/30
09/28
AVG. MAXIMUM 80.7 84.3 -3.6 87.1
AVG. MINIMUM 53.6 51.2 2.4 55.6
MEAN 67.1 67.7 -0.6 71.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 7 10.5 -3.5 13
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 4.22 1977
TOTALS 2.39 0.48 1.91 0.52
DAILY AVG. 0.08 0.02 0.06 0.02
DAYS >= .01 7 3.1 3.9 5
DAYS >= .10 5 1.4 3.6 1
DAYS >= .50 1 0.2 0.8 0
DAYS >= 1.00 1 0.0 1.0 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.26 09/29 TO 09/30
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 0.0 2010
TOTALS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
SINCE 7/1 0.0 0.0 0.0 MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 61 48 13 8
SINCE 7/1 61 56 5 MM
COOLING TOTAL 131 130 1 207
SINCE 1/1 1286 897 389 MM
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/13/1921
LATEST 06/12/1952
EARLIEST MM
LATEST 04/13
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 3.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 21/300 DATE 09/25
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 29/300 DATE 09/25
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.24
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 21
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 6
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 3
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 53
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 3 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 8 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 0 SLEET 0
FOG 7 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 18
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH INFLUENCED THE WEATHER DURING THE BEGINNING OF
THE MONTH, WITH COOL AND WET CONDITIONS THROUGH THE LABOR DAY
WEEKEND. THIS BROUGHT A MUCH WELCOMED CHANGE TO THE WEATHER AS
WIDESPREAD WETTING RAINS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DENT TO THE
ONGOING FIRE SEASON. POOR AIR QUALITY DUE TO WILDFIRE SMOKE WAS
ALLEVIATED DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF SEPTEMBER AS MANY OF THE
AREA`S WILDFIRES RECIEVED ENOUGH PRECIPITATION TO GREATLY REDUCE
FIRE ACTIVITY. THE MEDFORD AIRPORT RECORDED ALMOST A QUARTER INCH OF
PRECIPITATION ON THE FIRST DAY OF MONTH, WHICH WAS THE MOST
PRECIPITATION SINCE JUNE 19TH. BENIGN CONDITIONS CONTINUED AFTER THE
HOLIDAY WEEKEND AS A BROAD TROUGH AND QUASI-ZONAL FLOW LINGERED OVER
THE REGION THROUGH AROUND THE 10TH. DRY WEATHER AND WARMER
TEMPERATURES (THOUGH VALUES REMAINED NEAR NORMAL) PERSISTED THROUGH
THIS TIME AND AIR QUALITY GENERALLY REMAINED GOOD AS FIRE ACTIVITY
WAS DAMPENED.
SUMMER LIKE CONDITIONS RETURNED AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH WHEN
HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE REGION. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OF
THE MONTH WERE RECORDED DURING THIS TIME AND THE MEDFORD AIRPORT
RECORDED IT`S LAST 100 DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR ON THE 15TH. JUST
PRIOR TO THIS DATE, A MODERATE OFFSHORE FLOW EVENT REINVIGORATED
FIRE ACTIVITY AS DRY EAST TO NORTHEASTERLY WINDS KEPT HUMIDITIES
FAIRLY LOW COMPARED TO NORMAL ALONG THE COAST AND IN PORTIONS OF
WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY. IN RESPONSE TO THESE CONDITIONS, THE ANVIL
FIRE IN CURRY COUNTY WAS EXTREMELY ACTIVE AND DOUBLED IN SIZE OVER
THE COURSE OF ONE NIGHT. THE SMITH RIVER COMPLEX ALSO SAW INCREASED
FIRE ACTIVITY AS WELL AS THE HAPPY CAMP COMPLEX. THIS IS NOTABLE
BECAUSE, IN ADDITION TO THE HOT TEMPERATURES THAT FOLLOWED, POOR AIR
QUALITY IMPACTED AREAS WEST OF THE CASCADES YET AGAIN DUE SMOKE FROM
THIS INCREASED ACTIVITY. THE HEAT LINGERED THROUGH AROUND THE 18TH,
THOUGH THE SMOKE HELPED TO MODERATE TEMPERATURES SOME WEST OF THE
CASCADES. MEANWHILE, WEAK LOW PRESSURE LINGERED OFF THE CALIFORNIA
COAST AND THIS RESULTED IN A FEW DAYS OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EAST
OF THE CASCADES.
THE PATTERN TRANSITIONED BACK TO COOL AND WET FOR THE LAST THIRD OF
THE MONTH AS UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING DOMINATED THE WEATHER. THE FIRST
OF THESE TROUGHS LARGELY AFFECTED AREAS EAST OF THE CASCADES, BUT
STILL LOWERED TEMPERATURES WEST OF THE CASCADES AS WELL.
TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO AS MUCH AS 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL EAST OF
THE CASCADES AND THIS BROUGHT THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE SEASON AND THE
END OF THE GROWING SEASON THERE. A STRONGER TROUGH AND FRONT
AFFECTED THE REGION ON THE 25TH AND 26TH. THIS FRONT WAS
PARTICULARLY STRONG FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AND BROUGHT THE FIRST
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER OF THE SEASON TO THE AREA ALONG WITH STRONG WINDS.
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL ACCOMPANIED THIS FRONT, DELIVERING 1 TO 3
INCHES OF RAIN TO AREAS ALONG THE COAST WITH 0.50 TO 1 INCH FOR
AREAS WEST OF THE CASCADES. EVEN LOCATIONS EAST OF THE CASCADES
RECORDED 0.25 TO 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE AMOUNT OF
RAIN THAT FELL, PUT A HALT TO FIRE SEASON AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED,
IF NOT SUPPRESSED, THE AREA`S WILDFIRES AND AIR QUALITY
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED.
BROAD TROUGHING LINGERED OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH
AND MAINTAINED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS PERSISTED THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH. ONE
ROUND OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 29TH BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT
RAINFALL TO THE VALLEYS WEST OF THE CASCADES. THE MEDFORD AIRPORT
SET A NEW DAILY RAINFALL RECORD ON THE 29TH WHEN 1.25 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL. THIS SHATTERED THE OLD RECORD OF 0.79 INCHES SET IN 2013 AND
ALMOST DOUBLED THE TOTAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION. ALSO WORTH NOTING IS
THE ADDITION OF THIS 1.25 INCHES MADE SEPTEMBER 2023 THE THIRD
WETTEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD. OVERALL, SEPTEMBER 2023 FINISHED WITH
BELOW NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
/BR-Y
$$