Medford, Oregon climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Medford's normal year runs from 33°F December nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 18.4 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.3°C, December lows of 0°C, July highs of 33°C, 468 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMedford International Airport
- Station IDUSW00024225
- Location42.38°N 122.87°W
- Elevation1,297 ft (395 m)
- Population86,301
On October 14, the normal high in Medford is 71°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Medford.
- Jan 48° 33°
- Feb 54° 34°
- Mar 59° 37°
- Apr 65° 41°
- May 74° 47°
- Jun 82° 52°
- Jul 92° 59°
- Aug 91° 58°
- Sep 84° 51°
- Oct 70° 42°
- Nov 54° 36°
- Dec 46° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Medford each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in December (3.53 in), the least in July (0.24 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48°F | 33°F | 40.4°F | 2.72 | 1.0 | 14 | <1 | 15 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 54°F | 34°F | 44.1°F | 1.96 | 1.2 | 12 | <1 | 12 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 59°F | 37°F | 48.3°F | 1.81 | 0.2 | 13 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 41°F | 52.8°F | 1.51 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 74°F | 47°F | 60.4°F | 1.34 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 82°F | 52°F | 66.9°F | 0.68 | 0.0 | 4 | 7 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 92°F | 59°F | 75.1°F | 0.24 | 0.0 | 2 | 20 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 91°F | 58°F | 74.5°F | 0.33 | 0.0 | 2 | 20 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 84°F | 51°F | 67.7°F | 0.48 | 0.0 | 3 | 11 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 70°F | 42°F | 56.1°F | 1.22 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 36°F | 45.2°F | 2.61 | 0.1 | 13 | <1 | 9 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 46°F | 33°F | 39.4°F | 3.53 | 0.9 | 14 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 44°F | 55.9°F | 18.43 | 3.4 | 103 | 61 | 64 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | 0°C | 4.7°C | 69 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 50 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 15°C | 3°C | 9.1°C | 46 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 18°C | 5°C | 11.6°C | 38 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 23°C | 8°C | 15.8°C | 34 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 11°C | 19.4°C | 17 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 15°C | 23.9°C | 6 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 14°C | 23.6°C | 8 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 11°C | 19.8°C | 12 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 6°C | 13.4°C | 31 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 8°C | 0°C | 4.1°C | 90 mm | 2 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024225; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Medford?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (3).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024225.
When is the last frost in Medford?
In Medford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 8 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 29 in half of years and before October 14 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 81 year in 10 after April 30; 9 in 10 after March 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 291 year in 10 before October 14; 9 in 10 before November 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 204 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 247 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 10 in half of springs and before November 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Medford in zone 8b across its 2 ZIP code areas (8b in 97504, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Medford's NOAA station is in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 18°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Oregon · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00024225; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Medford ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Medford's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 8b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Medford?
In a normal year in Medford, 61 days a year reach 90°F (11 of them 100°F or more), 64 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 103 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 61a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 64a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 103a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in Medford's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1911) is 115°F, on June 28, 2021; the lowest is −10°F, on December 13, 1919.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1996, with 31.41 in; the snowiest season is 1955–56, with 31.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024225; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MFRthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Medford, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 48°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 50°F; the driest air comes in December (34°F). June is the windiest month (5.3 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (88%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 78% | 57% | 3.2 mph | 42% | 40% |
| February | 35°F | 72% | 49% | 3.9 mph | 40% | 40% |
| March | 37°F | 66% | 42% | 4.5 mph | 41% | 37% |
| April | 40°F | 58% | 33% | 4.8 mph | 53% | 27% |
| May | 46°F | 55% | 32% | 5.1 mph | 58% | 23% |
| June | 48°F | 48% | 26% | 5.3 mph | 78% | 10% |
| July | 50°F | 43% | 22% | 4.7 mph | 88% | 4% |
| August | 47°F | 46% | 22% | 4.1 mph | 85% | 6% |
| September | 43°F | 54% | 27% | 3.1 mph | 73% | 13% |
| October | 40°F | 72% | 45% | 2.8 mph | 49% | 34% |
| November | 36°F | 84% | 67% | 3.0 mph | 29% | 53% |
| December | 34°F | 85% | 70% | 2.9 mph | 31% | 52% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024225. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Medford?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Medford, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (94%) and December the cloudiest (59%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 125th (with 50 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.7 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 71% | 5.2 |
| May | 78% | 6.5 |
| June | 86% | 7.6 |
| July | 94% | 8.0 |
| August | 93% | 6.9 |
| September | 89% | 5.3 |
| October | 80% | 3.5 |
| November | 66% | 2.0 |
| December | 59% | 1.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Medford need?
A normal year in Medford brings 4,203 heating degree days, 22% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 908 cooling degree days, 0% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,326 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 764 | 0 |
| February | 587 | 0 |
| March | 518 | 0 |
| April | 369 | 3 |
| May | 179 | 37 |
| June | 55 | 112 |
| July | 4 | 317 |
| August | 3 | 298 |
| September | 48 | 131 |
| October | 288 | 12 |
| November | 594 | 0 |
| December | 795 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,203 | 908 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024225. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Medford been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 57.5°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 55.9°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.6°F | +1.8°F | 16.14 | 4.6 |
| 2022 | 56.8°F | +0.9°F | 14.41 | 0.0 |
| 2023 | 57.0°F | +1.1°F | 13.32 | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 57.7°F | +1.8°F | 22.91 | 0.7 |
| 2025 | 57.5°F | +1.6°F | 18.11 | 9.1 |
Over 92 complete years from 1930 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.6°F per century (+0.14°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024225; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Medford's climate compare?
Medford is warmer than 102 of the other 104 places with their own NOAA record in Oregon, and wetter than 37. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.9°F is warmer than 63%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Medford is Csa: temperate, dry-summer, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Medford share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Central Point, OR19,128 people · 2 mi W
- White City, OR10,913 people · 4 mi NE
- Eagle Point, OR9,811 people · 7 mi NE
- Jacksonville, OR2,945 people · 7 mi SW
- Gold Hill, OR1,313 people · 10 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Medford's climate
What is the coldest month in Medford?
December, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Medford?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 4 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (1.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Medford?
December, with 3.53 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.24 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Medford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Medford in zone 8b across its 2 ZIP code areas (8b in 97504, the largest). By the same method at Medford's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 18°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 8b.
How late can frost come in Medford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 8; in one year in ten it comes after April 30. Waiting until April 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Medford in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Oregon climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ruch, OR14 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Ashland, OR14 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Lost Creek Dam, OR22 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Grants Pass, OR23 miles from this station, 55.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made