A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones at the above times. Reported low temperatures in the warning area ranged from 29 to 36, so it is likely that the warning verified.
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 at the above times. Reported low temperatures in the warning area ranged from 29 to 36, so it is likely that the warning verified. However, no frost was reported. Reported low temperatures over the remainder of the west side ranged from 33 to 38 degrees (except for Gold Beach(52) and Brookings (45)). Reported lows in western Siskiyou county were 29 or 30. So...a Frost Warning likely should have been issued for the entire west side except for zone ORZ022 (South Coast).
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 10, 1:30 PM PST, 45 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 230 PM PDT FRI MAY 10 2002 PRIMARY CONCERN IS FROST POTENTIAL IN THE ROGUE AND ILLINOIS VALLEYS TONIGHT. COOL AIRMASS IN PLACE WITH CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. MOST AREAS WILL DROP INTO THE MIDDLE 30S WITH THE COLDEST LOCATIONS NEAR 30. WILL ISSUE A FROST WARNING FOR JACKSON AND JOSEPHINE COUNTIES TONIGHT. NEXT...WARMING AND OFFSHORE FLOW OCCUR THIS WEEKEND SO FROST NOT AN ISSUE. NEXT FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE MARINE SURGE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. THERMAL TROUGH SHIFTS NORTH WITH MESO-ETA SHOWING A LOW PRESSURE CENTER NEAR CAPE BLANCO 12Z SUNDAY. EXPECT LOW CLOUDS TO RACE UP THE COAST LATE SATURDAY NIGHT. HAVE COOLED HIGH TEMPERATURES MONDAY FOR THE WEST SIDE VALLEYS DUE TO A MODERATE MARINE PUSH. A SHORT WAVE PASSAGE WILL ALLOW ONSHORE FLOW TO STRENGTHEN SO EXPECT TO SEE 5-10 DEGREES OF COOLING MONDAY VERSUS SUNDAY. THE EAST SIDE SHOULD REMAIN WARM WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS JUST EAST OF THE CASCADES DUE TO THE MESO-HIGH AND THERMAL LOW PRESSURE GRADIENT. ECMWF HAS BEEN MORE CONSISTENT WITH HANGING ON TO THE UPPER TROUGH AROUND MID-WEEK AND THIS HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. SANDLER .MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OREGON TO CAPE BLANO OREGON.
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 Oregon in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5296455, 5296456.