Medford, Oregon - Climate

Climate

Medford sits in a rain shadow between the Cascade Range and Siskiyou Mountains called the Rogue Valley. As such, most of the rain associated with the Pacific Northwest and Oregon in particular skips Medford, making it drier and sunnier than the Willamette Valley. Medford's climate is considerably warmer, both in summer and winter, than its latitude would suggest, with a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). Summers are akin to Eastern Oregon, and winters resemble the coast. In Medford, summer often includes as many as ninety days over 90 °F (32 °C), with temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C) common in July and August. In August 1981, the temperature stayed over 110 °F (43 °C) for 4 days, with two days reaching 114 °F (46 °C). Medford also experiences temperature inversions in the winter which during its lumber mill days produced fog so thick that visibility could be reduced to less than five feet. These inversions can last for weeks; some suggest this is because the metropolitan area has one of the lowest average wind speeds of all American metropolitan areas.

Medford residents do experience snowfall during the winter months, however, due to the weather shadow effect it usually only averages about 5.0 inches (12.7 cm) and melts fairly quickly. In the past, Medford has seen snowfall measurements reach 31 inches (79 cm) (1955–1956).

The lowest recorded temperature in Medford was −10 °F (−23.3 °C) on December 13, 1919, and the highest recorded temperature was 115 °F (46.1 °C) on July 20, 1946.