A Frost Warning was issued for the above zones effective at the above times. with some areas meeting Freeze Warning criteria.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 26 to 33, so it appears that this warning verified...with some 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 Oct 11, 2:16 AM PST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT FRI OCT 11 2002
WITH THE AREA FIRMLY UNDER THE GRIP OF A REX BLOCK REGION REMAINS DRY
THROUGH ENTIRE FORECAST IN OFSHORE FLOW. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE DRY
GUSTY RIDGETOP WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. WITH AIR CIRCULATING
INTO REGION FROM GREAT BASIN...COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT
SFC WINDS...RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL DROP TEMPERATURES INTO THE TEENS
IN ISOLATED LOCATIONS EAST OF THE CASCAEDS TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO
TOMORROW NIGHT. INLAND VALLEYS WEST OF THE CASCADES WILL SEE AREAS OF
WIDESPREAD FROST TONIGHT. REX BLOCK PATTERN BREAK DOWN AS LOW BENEATH
SLIPS TO THE EAST TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH RIDGE
BREAKING DOWN NEXT WEEKEND.
.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE ARAGO OR TO POINT ST GEORGE CA 20 TO
60 NM FROM SHORE.
FROST WARNING OR ZONES 23-26 AND CA ZONE 80 FOR TONIGHT.<!doctype html>
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
See below.
See below.
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, October 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: 5319862, 5319863, 5319864, 5319865.