A Frost Warning was issued at 0430 PDT on 5/1 for Oregon zones 024/026. It expired the following morning.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.
A Frost Warning was issued at 0430 PDT on 5/1 for Oregon zones 024/026. It expired the following morning. Most reported low temperatures were in the 30s and a few stations dipped below freezing. No frost was reported, but conditions were favorable for frost formation and it is likely that it did form. Some coastal stations (ORZ021) and Umpqua valley stations (ORZ023) also reported low temperatures in the 30s and the warning probably should have been issued for these zones as well.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 1, 1:30 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT TUE MAY 01 2001
STRONG WNW JET CONTINUES ACROSS OREGON TODAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY
SHOWS A LEAST ONE SHORT WAVE OFF THE NORTH OREGON COAST WHICH WILL
MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN OREGON TODAY. EXPECT SHOWER ACTIVITY TO REMAIN
MAINLY NORTH OF OUR REGION. OFFSHORE RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO AMPLIFY
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR FURTHER DRYING. THE THERMAL TROUGH WILL
NOSE NORTHWARD TO THE EXTREME SOUTH COAST LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
THE BROOKINGS EFFECT WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AND MAX OUT ON THURSDAY
AS THERMAL TROUGH SHIFTS JUST OFF THE COAST BY THURSDAY. NORTHERLY
WINDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP EAST OF THE CASCADES TONIGHT HELPING TO KEEP
MIN TEMPS HIGHER IN AREAS LIKE LAKEVIEW. WITH CLEARING SKIES AND
FAIRLY COLD AIRMASS OVER THE REGION TONIGHT WILL ISSUE FROST WARNING
FOR JACKSON AND JOSEPHINE COUNTIES. SOME OF THE COLDER ORCHARDS COULD
GET DOWN INTO THE UPPER 20S.
EXTENDED...RIDGE CONTINUES OVER THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. NEW AVN
MODEL TEMPORARILY WEAKENS THE RIDGE SATURDAY AND QUICKLY MOVES A
FRONT THROUGH THE AREA. WILL ADJUST FORECAST TO REFLECT THE CHANGE
MAINLY COAST AND UMPQUA REGION. BOTH ECMWF/MRF MODELS SHOW ZONAL FLOW
SUNDAY THEN THE RIDGE BEGINNING TO BUILD BACK IN MONDAY. HOLTZ
.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA.
FROST WARNING TONIGHT JACKSON AND JOSEPHINE COUNTIES.
OTH BU 059/040 062/042 063 050000
4BK BU 062/054 074/055 080 050000
RBG BU 059/039 064/040 074 050000
MFR BU 065/035 072/037 077 050000
LMT BU 056/027 058/025 066 050000
LKV BU 055/032 055/032 063 050000
MHS UU 065/034 066/035 070 050000The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
See below.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 2001
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5243954, 5244039.