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 30 to 39, 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 6, 2:26 AM PST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 230 AM PDT FRI SEP 06 2002 00Z NGM/ETA/AVN/MRF IN. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG ALONG THE COAST THIS MORNING WITH HIGH CLOUDS FROM THE REMAINS OF A DISSIPATED EASTERN PACIFIC HURRICANE STREAMING OVER MODOC AND LAKE COUNTIES. MOSTLY CLEAR AND COOL OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHERN OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. A COLD UPPER TROUGH OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. A SHORT WAVE ROTATING THROUGH THE TROUGH WILL MOVE OVER EASTERN OREGON TODAY...AND THE TROUGH ITSELF WILL MOVE ONSHORE FRIDAY NIGHT AND REMAIN OVER THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. EXPECT A ROUND OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS BOTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. CONVECTIVE INDICES AND CAPES INDICATE THAT FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING WILL BE THE MORE ACTIVE DAY...ALTHOUGH WITH MAX CAPES OF 210 ON FRIDAY AND 70 ON SATURDAY...NOT EXPECTING ANY SEVERE ACTIVITY. IN FACT...THEY MAY BE MORE SHOWERS THAN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY... ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. A FROST WARNING WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED AGAIN FOR THE EAST SIDE TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY SATURDAY NIGHT. THE TROUGH WILL DEPART TO POINTS EAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL BUILD IN SUNDAY AND MONDAY. EXPECT A WARMING TREND TO COMMENCE SUNDAY AS THE AIR MASS DRIES AND THICKNESSES RISE. A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...BUT AT THIS POINT IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE ACTIVE...IT MAY BRING SOME DRIZZLE TO THE COAST BUT THATS ABOUT IT. THE THERMAL TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY REBUILD ALONG THE COAST AS THE WARMING TAKES HOLD. HEIGHTS WILL BEGIN TO FALL AGAIN TUESDAY AS THE NEXT TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE CURRENT MRF RUN INDICATES THAT IT WILL MOVE ONSHORE WEDNESDAY NIGHT...PUSHING A COLD FRONT AHEAD OF IT WITH RAIN POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND SHOWERS ON THURSDAY. HOWEVER...THE MRF IS THE MOST PROGRESSIVE COMPARED TO THE ECMWF AND UKMO SO AM INCLINED TO DELAY BOTH THE PRECIPITATION AND THE COOLING TREND. THE CURRENT FORECAST HAS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THURSDAY AND IT DOES DELAY THE COOLING TREND SO WILL KEEP THIS FORECAST FOR NOW AS IT DEALS ADEQUATELY WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE SITUATION. STOCKTON .MFR...FROST WARNING FRI AM...ORZ029/030/031...CAZ083/084/085.
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: 5320492, 5320493.