A cool and dry air mass combined with clear skies to bring freezing temperatures to portions of southwest Oregon.
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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 cool and dry air mass combined with clear skies to bring freezing temperatures to portions of southwest Oregon.
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 2, 1:19 AM PST, 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Medford OR
219 AM PDT Thu May 2 2019
.DISCUSSION...The weather in the short term will remain benign as
dry, northwest, upper level flow remains in control. This pattern
will hold through Friday and aside from the late night and
morning stratus intrusions along the Coos coast, result in mostly
clear conditions area-wide. With the clear skies, expect areas of
frost and freezing temperatures in some of the West Side valleys,
especially south of the Umpqua Divide. A freeze warning remains in
effect for portions of the Illinois Valley with frost advisories
in most other west side valleys. See NPWMFR for details.
Temperatures will begin a warming trend tomorrow with highs a few
degrees above normal, then Friday and Saturday will be quite warm
with highs 10 to 15 degrees above normal. On Saturday, an upper
trough will approach from the south and west, but it is expected
to go into central California. We may see some high cloud from it
on Saturday, but that's about it.
Come Sunday, a low pressure system will cross into Central
California. Although this low has been predicted for days, the
models have largely been unsure as to where this low would cross.
Now, models are in better agreement in a slightly southward track
of the low. This will keep the majority of the precipitation to
the south of Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, and have lowered the
rain chances to reflect that solution in the ensemble guidance,
but it won't be completely out of the realm of possibility for a
shower or thunderstorm to develop Sunday afternoon.
The low will continue to persist over south and Central California
allowing for the wrap around moisture to filter into southern
areas of Siskiyou and Modoc counties. Expect the best chances of
showers and maybe a thunderstorm on Monday for northern California
(southern Oregon will remain largely dry.). Precipitation,
however, would be rather light.
Then, an area of high pressure will nudge into our area from the
west, and dry conditions will return. Temperatures may be a bit
cooler east of the cascades on Tuesday, but most other areas will
continue their gradual warming trend. -Schaaf
&&
.AVIATION...For the 02/12Z TAFS...VFR will continue through the
TAF period, with breezy afternoon winds. The exception will be
along the coast near and including North Bend, where MVFR/IFR
ceilings are likely to persist through this morning, before
returning to VFR before noon. -Nieuwenhuis/Smith
&&
.MARINE...Updated 251 AM PDT Thursday, 2 May 2019... A brief
break in the weather is expected into Thursday morning. The
thermal trough will strengthen again this afternoon through Friday
with winds and seas increasing. The strongest winds and steepest
seas will be south of Cape Blanco.
Conditions may improve slightly Saturday into Saturday night. Low
pressure is then expected to move into north-central California by
Sunday. However, gusty north winds may continue over the waters on
Sunday.
-Nieuwenhuis/Smith
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Frost Advisory until 9 AM PDT this morning for
ORZ021-023-024-026.
Freeze Warning until 9 AM PDT this morning for ORZ024-026.
CA...None.
Pacific Coastal Waters...Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM PDT Sunday for PZZ356-376.
Small Craft Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 10 AM PDT Sunday
for PZZ350-370.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.
Reported low temperatures in this zone ranged from 27 to 37 degrees.
Reported low temperatures in this zone ranged from 31 to 38 degrees.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, May 2019
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: 811632, 811633.