331
NOUS46 KMFR 011238
PNSMFR
ORZ026-020045-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
438 AM PST WED FEB 1 2023
..MEDFORD OREGON WEATHER REVIEW: JANUARY 2023
JANUARY WAS AN INTERESTING MONTH. WITH ONGOING DROUGHT AREA WIDE,
MANY WERE HOPING FOR THE WET DECEMBER TO CARRY INTO JANUARY.
HOWEVER, DURING THE FIRST PART OF JANUARY, THE STORM TRACK SHIFTED
AND WAS DIRECTED MORE INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS BROUGHT
COPIOUS MOISTURE TO OUR SOUTHERN NEIGHBORS, INCLUDING MT. SHASTA
CITY, WHERE MORE THAN 16 INCHES OF RAIN/MELTED SNOW FELL IN AN
11-DAY STRETCH FROM THE 4TH TO THE 14TH. AMAZINGLY, WITH ALL THAT
PRECIPITATION, THE RIVERS, STREAMS AND CREEKS DOWN IN THAT AREA
WERE ABLE TO HANDLE THE HIGHER FLOWS WITH MINIMAL FLOOD ISSUES.
INSTEAD OF THE RAIN, THE MAIN WEATHER IMPACT IN SOUTHERN OREGON,
AND ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE ROGUE VALLEY, WAS THE WIND. FOR THOSE
SAME 11 DAYS, MEDFORD SAW WIND STORM AFTER WIND STORM WITH WINDS
FROM THE SOUTHEAST IDEALLY ALIGNED WITH THE VALLEY. WIND SPEEDS
WERE COMMONLY HIGHER THAN 35 MPH ON ALL BUT ONE OF THOSE DAYS WITH
A PEAK WIND GUST OF 55 MPH RECORDED ON THE 4TH. THIS BROUGHT
CONSIDERABLE WIND DAMAGE AND LOCAL POWER OUTAGES. SOUTHERN OREGON
WASN'T WITHOUT PRECIPITATION AND THE COQUILLE RIVER AT COQUILLE
ROSE NEAR AND ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FROM THE 15TH TO THE 17TH
PROMPTING FLOOD WARNINGS. BUT, PRECIPITATION JUST WASN'T NEARLY TO
THE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT OCCURRED IN NORCAL DUE TO DOWNSLOPE TERRAIN
EFFECTS. MEDFORD WAS ALSO QUITE MILD DURING THAT STRETCH OF WINDY
WEATHER WITH HIGHS COMMONLY 55 DEGREES OR GREATER. THE PEAK OF
THE WARMTH OCCURRED ON THE 12TH WITH A HIGH OF 66 DEGREES. THE
STORM DOOR CLOSED FOR THE ENTIRE AREA FROM MID-MONTH ONWARD AND
LITTLE ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION WAS MEASURED. SEVERAL COLD HIGH
PRESSURE SYSTEMS BUILT IN EAST OF THE CASCADES RESULTING IN BOUTS
OF AIR STAGNATION. BUT, THE COLD NIGHTS WERE THE STORY IN MEDFORD
WITH LOWS COMMONLY IN THE 20S. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF 17F WAS
RECORDED ON THE 30TH. SOME AREAS EAST OF THE CASCADES HAD LOW
TEMPERATURES OF 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. SEA LEVEL PRESSURE
WAS VERY HIGH, PEAKING AT 30.70 INCHES ON THE 25TH, WHICH WASN'T
TOO FAR FROM THE RECORD OF 30.83 INCHES SET ON JANUARY 11, 2009.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 41.3 DEGREES, WHICH IS
0.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS
51.1 DEGREES, WHICH IS 2.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 31.6 DEGREES, WHICH IS 0.9 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 66 DEGREES
WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 12TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
WAS 17 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 30TH.
THERE WERE 8 CLEAR DAYS, 18 PARTLY CLOUDY DAYS, AND 5 CLOUDY
DAYS.
TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS 0.76 INCHES WHICH IS 1.96
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE WATER YEAR
(BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST) IS 7.33 INCHES WHICH IS 2.72 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. CALENDAR YEAR PRECIPITATION IS 0.76 INCHES WHICH IS 1.96
INCHES BELOW NORMAL. NO SNOW FELL DURING THE MONTH.
THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH WAS 5.2 MPH. THE FASTEST
RECORDED TWO-MINUTE WIND SPEED WAS 40 MPH FROM THE SOUTHEAST
WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 4TH. THE PEAK WIND WAS 55 MPH FROM THE
SOUTHEAST WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 4TH.
THE HIGHEST PRESSURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 30.70 INCHES ON THE 25TH.
THE LOWEST PRESSURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 29.27 INCHES ON THE 14TH.
THE 66 DEGREES ON THE 12TH SET A DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD,
ECLIPSING THE 65 DEGREES THAT OCCURRED IN 1986.
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