The onset of the growing season greatly increased the impact of freezing temperatures, so freeze warnings for some of the west side valleys were issued.
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.
The onset of the growing season greatly increased the impact of freezing temperatures, so freeze warnings for some of the west side valleys were issued.
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 Mar 20, 9:30 PM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
1030 PM PDT THU MAR 20 2014
AVIATION SECTION UPDATED
.DISCUSSION...
NO UPDATES ARE NEEDED FOR TONIGHT. WITH LOW DEWPOINTS AND MOSTLY
CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT IT WILL BE CHILLY ONCE AGAIN. WHILE
TEMPERATURES WILL BE ONLY 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL, THE LOWS
EXPECTED ARE OF CONCERN FOR THE SURVIVAL OF SOME EARLY BLOSSOMS
ON SOME FRUIT TREES.
WE'LL HAVE A WARMING TREND THROUGH MONDAY WITH A MILD WEEKEND, AND
THEN WE EXPECT A WETTER PERIOD TO BEGIN ON TUESDAY. BTL
&&
.AVIATION...BASED ON THE 21/06Z TAF CYCLE.
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A SMALL
POSSIBILITY OF MVFR CIGS IN THE 13Z-16Z RANGE IN THE UMPQUA BASIN,
BUT EVEN THIS IS UNLIKELY DUE TO DRY OFFSHORE FLOW. BTL
&&
.MARINE...
A THERMAL TROUGH OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL BRING
STRONG NORTH WINDS AND HEAVY SEAS TO THE WATERS. THE TROUGH...AND
THUS THE WINDS...WILL WEAKEN FRIDAY NIGHT. OFFSHORE HIGH PRESSURE
WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A WETTER AND WINDIER PATTERN WITH
MOSTLY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP MONDAY NIGHT WHEN THE FIRST OF
SEVERAL FRONTS MOVES THROUGH THE WATERS.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 203 PM PDT THU MAR 20 2014/
SHORT TERM...TEMPERATURES ARE GENERALLY TRENDING 5 DEGREES COOLER
THAN YESTERDAY WEST OF THE CASCADES...WITH ABOUT 5 DEGREES OF WARMING
EAST OF THE CASCADES. A COOLER AND DRIER AIR MASS IS ENTERING THE
FORECAST AREA BEHIND A WEAK COLD FRONT.
THE MAIN IMPACTING WEATHER DURING THE 24 TO 48 HOURS WILL BE COLD
OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES AFFECTING AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS. AS IS
TYPICAL...THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST IS CHALLENGING. TONIGHT THE
MAIN VARIABLE IS CLOUD COVER...WITH LOW CLOUDS STILL LINGERING OVER
MOSTLY NORTH FACING SLOPES OF WEST SIDE VALLEYS. OUR CURRENT
THINKING IS THAT MOST CLOUDS WILL CLEAR BY SUNSET...WITH A FEW
CLOUDS REMAINING OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF THE ROGUE VALLEY AND
PERHAPS ILLINOIS. THUS...THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST OF 25-30
DEGREES ACROSS WEST SIDE VALLEYS IS BASED ON MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. A
FREEZE WARNING AT NPWMFR HAS BEEN ISSUED. TOMORROW WILL FEATURE SOME
WARMING ALOFT WITH FURTHER DRYING EXPECTED. AN UPPER TROUGH WILL
PASS THROUGH DURING THE DAY...AND MODELS HINT AT LIGHT
PRECIPITATION OVER THE NORTHERN CASCADES...SO HAVE INTRODUCED
GHOST POPS OVER MODOC COUNTY. THIS IS SOMETHING TO JUST KEEP AN
EYE ON DURING THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUNS. WE ARE HIGHLY CONFIDENT IN
CLEAR SKIES TOMORROW NIGHT...AND ONCE AGAIN TEMPERATURES SHOULD
DIP INTO THE 20S IN PORTIONS OF WEST SIDE VALLEYS. A FREEZE WATCH
HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS.
GRADUAL WARMING IS EXPECTED FROM SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WITH
MONDAY BEING THE WARMEST DAY IN MORE THAN A WEEK. DRY CONDITIONS
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY...AND THE COAST WILL FEATURE SUNNY AND
WARM CONDITIONS FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY BEFORE SOME ONSHORE FLOW COOLS
THINGS OFF BY MONDAY.
LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...THERE IS NO SMALL
DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE FORECAST DURING THE EXTENDED
PERIOD...BUT THERE IS DECENT MODEL CONSENSUS REGARDING THE GENERAL
PATTERN. THEREFORE...WHILE DETAILS APPEAR SKETCHY AT THIS
POINT...THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE IN A SWITCH TO A COOLER AND
WETTER PATTERN DURING THE EXTENDED TERM.
MONDAY MORNING WILL FIND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST UNDER RELATIVELY
HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGING. WITH CLEAR SKIES AND 850 MB TEMPERATURES
RISING TO ABOVE 50 DEGREES...THIS WILL APPEAR TO BE ONE OF THE
WARMEST DAYS OF THE SEASON SO FAR...WITH MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES
RISING TO 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. THIS WOULD PLACE
THE VALLEYS WITHIN THE CWA WELL INTO THE 70S. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS
WILL MAKE A DRASTIC TURN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION HEADING INTO THE
REST OF THE WEEK.
MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE DEPICTING A CLOSED LOW ATTEMPTING TO PUSH INTO
THE REGION BEGINNING LATE MONDAY NIGHT. THE UNCERTAINTY LIES IN THE
TIMING OF THIS PUSH...WITH THE RIDGE...WHICH EXTENDS ALL THE WAY UP
THE WEST COAST AND INTO ALASKA...PERHAPS HAVING ENOUGH UMPH TO SLOW
THE PROGRESS OF THE TROUGH. IN FACT...MODELS SHOW THE TROUGH AND
RIDGE ESSENTIALLY CANCELING EACH OTHER OUT...PRODUCING A LESS
AMPLIFIED WAVE PATTERN OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...THIS PROCESS WOULD
THEN OPEN UP THE REGION TO A MORE PROGRESSIVE PATTERN...WITH THE CWA
LYING WELL WITHIN RANGE OF THE PREFERRED STORM TRACK. TAKING ALL
THIS INTO ACCOUNT...HAVE TRENDED THE REST OF THE TERM TOWARDS
WETTER AND COOLER...WITH THE DETAILS REMAINING TO BE IRONED OUT
UNTIL THE EVENT APPROACHES THE SHORT TERM.
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
FOR
ORZ024-026.
FREEZE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR ORZ024-026.
CA...FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
FOR
CAZ081.
FREEZE WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR CAZ081.
PACIFIC COASTAL WATERS...
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 11 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR
PZZ350-356.
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY
FOR PZZ350-356.
- GALE WARNING UNTIL 2 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370.
- HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 11 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR PZZ350-356-370.
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR
PZZ370-376.
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FROM 11 AM FRIDAY TO 11 PM
PDT SATURDAY FOR PZZ370-376.
- GALE WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR PZZ376.
- HAZARDOUS SEAS WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR PZZ376.
BTL/NSK/BPNThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
Reported low temperatures ranged from 25 to 30 degrees.
Reported low temperatures ranged from 26 to 32 degrees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, March 2014
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: 498967, 498968.