A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones effective at the above times. with some isolated areas meeting Freeze Warning criteria.
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 29 to 44, so it appears that this warning verified...with some isolated areas meeting Freeze Warning criteria.
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 5, 4:25 AM PST, 53 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
525 AM PDT THU SEP 05 2002
REMOVED CAZ 083 FROM FROST WARNING
INFRARED/WATER VAPOR IMAGERIES SHOWING CLOSED UPPER LOW AROUND
46N/133W ACCOMPANIED BY QUITE A BIT OF OPEN CELL CU. SKIES MOSTLY
CLEAR OVER THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING EXCEPT FOR SOME JET
ENHANCED HIGH CLOUDS MAINLY OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL PORTION OF THE
AREA.
UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH TO DIG FURTHER SOUTH TODAY WITH
FORECAST AREA REMAINING UNDER DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.
HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES TO LOWER A BIT FROM WEDNESDAY AND WILL SEE
ADDITIONAL COOLING TODAY. BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT OF LOW TEMPS
TONIGHT. CURRENT TRENDS AND FORECAST GUIDANCE WARRANT ISSUANCE OF
FROST WARNING TONIGHT FOR AREAS EAST OF THE CASCADES AS WELL AS
EASTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY AND ALL OF MODOC COUNTY.
UPPER LOW/TROUGH TO PUSH INLAND FRIDAY WITH ATMOSPHERE BECOMING
INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AS GREATER DYNAMICS/COLD POOL ALOFT APPROACH.
SUFFICIENT CAPE WITH SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE LIFTED INDICIES WARRANT
MENTION OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH
QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECASTS REMAINING LOW. PRECIP TO BE MORE
OF THE SHOWERY VARIETY SATURDAY AS THE LOW PASSES OVER THE AREA.
FOR SUNDAY THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES TO THE EAST OF THE AREA WITH UPPER
RIDGING ENSUING. SLOW WARMING TREND BEGINS SUNDAY AS
HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES BEGIN A DAY TO DAY INCREASE. TEMPS TO PLATEAU
TUESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER TROUGH APPROACHES THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY
BRINGING ANOTHER SHOT OF COOLING.
REYNOLDS
.MFR...OR...FROST WARNING TONIGHT 029...030...031.
CA...FROST WARNING TONIGHT 084...085.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: 5320490, 5320491.