966
NOUS46 KMFR 042200
PNSMFR
ORZ026-051000-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
300 PM PDT SAT APR 4 2026
..MEDFORD OREGON WEATHER REVIEW: MARCH 2026
OVERALL, MARCH 2026 FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES,
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND WELL BELOW NORMAL SNOWPACK IN THE
MOUNTAINS. ACTIVE WEATHER FROM THE END OF FEBRUARY CARRIED INTO
THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF MARCH AS A FEW SYSTEMS PASSED THROUGH THE
REGION. THESE SYSTEMS BROUGHT ALMOST 75% OF THE MONTH'S OBSERVED
PRECIPITATION DURING THE FIRST FIVE DAYS OF THE MONTH. AFTER THIS,
DRY CONDITIONS PERSISTED THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WHICH
KEPT TEMPERATURES NEAR TO JUST ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. THE STORM
TRACK, HOWEVER, WAS DIRECTED JUST NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. SO
WHILE A STRONG ATMOSPHERIC RIVER (AR) BROUGHT WELL ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION TO AREAS TO THE NORTH, MOST OF THE MEDFORD FORECAST
AREA MISSED OUT OF THIS AMPLE PRECIPITATION. THIS AR DID WOBBLE
SOUTHWARD ENOUGH AT TIMES TO BRING BENEFICIAL PRECIPITATION TO THE
COAST AND INTO THE UMPQUA BASIN.
HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPED OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA AROUND THE
16TH, THEN MOVED EASTWARD AND STRENGTHENED OVER THE SOUTHWEST
THROUGH AROUND THE 20TH. THIS BROUGHT A PERIOD OF WELL ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES, DURING WHICH, BOTH THE FIRST 70 DEGREE DAY
OF THE YEAR (MARCH 16TH) AND THE FIRST 80 DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR
(MARCH 17TH) WERE OBSERVED AT THE MEDFORD AIRPORT. THE FIRST 80
DEGREE DAY OF THE YEAR TYPICALLY OCCURS AROUND MID-APRIL, WITH THE
EARLIEST EVER OCCURRING ON MARCH 9TH IN 1934. NUMEROUS RECORD
HIGHS WERE SET OR TIED ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN THE 17TH AND
20TH, INCLUDING AT THE MEDFORD AIRPORT WHERE A RECORD HIGH OF 82
DEGREES WAS SET ON MARCH 18TH (OLD RECORD WAS 81 DEGREES SET IN
1928). MEANWHILE, WITH THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION, THIS PERIOD OF
WARMTH RESULTED IN SOME UNUSUALLY EARLY FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS EAST
OF THE CASCADES AND A RED FLAG WARNING WAS ISSUED ON MARCH 19TH
FOR PORTIONS OF KLAMATH AND LAKE COUNTIES. HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY
BROKE DOWN AROUND THE 22ND, AND TEMPERATURES MODERATED CLOSER
BACK TO SEASONAL NORMALS. THE FIRST SYSTEM IN OVER TWO WEEKS
BROUGHT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION TO THE MEDFORD AIRPORT ON THE
24TH AND AFTER ANOTHER BRIEF BREAK, MORE LIGHT PRECIPITATION
CONTINUED THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH.
MARCH 2026 WAS THE THIRD WARMEST ON RECORD FOR THE MEDFORD
AIRPORT WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 53.1 DEGREES, COMING IN
JUST BARELY BEHIND THE SECOND WARMEST MARCH WITH 53.3 DEGREES SET
IN 2015. THE RECORD WARMEST MARCH WAS IN 1934 WITH AN AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 55.0 DEGREES. SNOWPACK IN THE MOUNTAINS REMAINED
IN THE WELL BELOW NORMAL RANGE FOR THE MONTH AS WELL. IN FACT, AT
A TIME WHEN SNOWPACK SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPROACHING ITS PEAK, THE
SNOWPACK VALUES ON THE GROUND AT CRATER LAKE WERE AT RECORD LOW
VALUES, EVEN SURPASSING THE RECORD LOW YEAR OF 2015. WHILE AREA
RESERVOIRS WERE IN BETTER CONDITION WITH MOST CLIMATE SITES
REPORTING 70-100% OF NORMAL IN TERMS OF WATER YEAR PRECIPITATION,
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT ACROSS THE REGION WAS A DISMAL 10-20% OF
NORMAL.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 53.1 DEGREES, WHICH IS
4.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 66.8
DEGREES, WHICH IS 7.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS 39.4 DEGREES, WHICH IS 2.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 82 DEGREES WHICH
OCCURRED ON THE 18TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 33
DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 11TH, 22ND AND 27TH.
THERE WERE 21 CLEAR DAYS, 4 PARTLY CLOUDY DAYS, AND 6 CLOUDY
DAYS.
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 0.74 INCHES WHICH IS -1.07
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE WATER YEAR
(BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST) IS 11.71 INCHES WHICH IS 2.14 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. CALENDAR YEAR PRECIPITATION IS 4.81 INCHES WHICH IS
1.68 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH WAS 3.4 MPH. THE FASTEST
RECORDED TWO-MINUTE WIND SPEED WAS 24 MPH FROM THE SOUTHWEST
WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 24TH. THE PEAK WIND WAS 35 MPH FROM THE
SOUTHWEST WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 24TH.
THE HIGHEST PRESSURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 30.50 INCHES ON THE 11TH.
THE LOWEST PRESSURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 29.72 INCHES ON THE 31ST.
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