A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones effective at the above times. Reported low temperatures ranged from 34 to 46, so it appears that this warning did not verify.
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 for the above zones effective at the above times. Reported low temperatures ranged from 34 to 46, so it appears that this warning did not verify. Frost coverage was likely patchy.
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 Sep 10, 1:30 PM PST, 56 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 230 PM PDT TUE SEP 10 2002 UNSEASONABLY WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RESIDES OVER REGION. SLIGHT COOLDOWN CONTINUES TO BE ON TRACK FRO SATURDAY AS RIFGE MOVES SLIGHTLY WEST AND SW SLIPS DOWN EAST SIDE...USHERING IN SLIGHTLYY COLLER AIR MASS. MODELS SHOWING GREAT INCONSISTENCY BOTH BETWEEN MODELS AND RUN TO RUN WITH SYSTEM APPROACHING ON TUESDAY...AND HAVE SLOWED TREND TO DEEPER TROUGH SOLUTION AND HAVE INTRODUCED 20 POPS ALONG COAST SARTING MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO GRIDS. AS CONFIDENCE WITH EASRLIER PASSAGE OF SYSTEM IS LOW. OVERALL A MOST PLEASANT WEEK IN STORE. SVEN .MFR...FROST WARNING TONIGHT EAST OF THE CASCADES...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE BLANCO OR TO PT ST GEORGE CA.
The 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 California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 2002
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5320500, 5320501.