The Medford area saw its third-warmest July on record by a narrow margin this year, coming in slightly below 2014 temperatures.  

The National Weather Service’s latest monthly climate summary shows that Medford’s mean temperature for July was 79.8 degrees. According to numbers provided by NWS meteorologist Misty Firmin, that third-place finish slots behind a 79.9-degree average for the month in 2014 and an 80.3-degree average in 2021.

“Just barely second place by a whole tenth of a degree,” Firmin said.

The first half of last month, however, set all-time records as the warmest first half of July. According to Firmin and NWS data, the temperature averaged 82.5 degrees between July 1-15 of this year. The second-warmest was an average of 81.0 degrees recorded July 1-15, 2021, according to Firmin.

Behind the heat was a high-pressure system that “remained locked-in over the area for most of the month, especially during the first half,” according to the NWS climate report.

High temps were in the triple digits 12 out of 16 days in the first half of July, and 29 of 31 days had highs of 90 or higher.

The Weather Service recorded six record highs from July 4 through 9. The July 4 high of 105 broke the 1972 record by 2 degrees; the July 5 record of 109 broke the 1911 record by 7 degrees; the July 6 record of 112 broke the 1922 record by 8 degrees; the July 7 record of 108 broke the 2014 record by 6 degrees; the July 8 record of 108 broke the 1952 record by 4 degrees; and the July 9 record of 107 broke the 2002 record by 1 degree.

None of these highs set a new overall record. The highest temperature ever recorded in July in Medford was 115 on July 20, 1946. The hottest it got last year was 102 degrees, recorded July 15, 2023.

The mean average low for July was 61.2 degrees, up 2.6 from the 58.6 degrees considered normal for the month. Firmin highlighted data showing a lack of a cooldown in the latest climate report.

“At night, too, it’s been warmer than normal,” she said.

At first glance, low temperatures in the 70s may appear to be an adequate cooldown, but for some without air conditioning, that low may not occur until about 5 a.m. — especially when the lows are normally in the mid to upper 50s. 

“That’s also a big push into what’s making these record hot months,” Firmin said. “People aren’t getting the relief they’re used to getting.”

Firmin said elevated low temperatures are something that local meteorologists consider when deciding whether to issue heat advisories.

“It’s hard to get that relief when the sun goes down,” Firmin said.

Slight ‘cooldown’ on the horizon

Temps in this week’s forecast are hovering in the upper 90s, with a “little bit of a cooldown” expected by the middle of the month, according to Firmin.

“The degree of that (cooldown) we don’t know yet,” she said.

The normal high for the month of August is about 94 degrees, and highs at the Medford airport weather station are expected to hover between 96 and 98 through Friday. Saturday is expected to cool down to a high of 95, and Sunday to a high of 94.

“Where we’re at is probably where we’re going to stay,” Firmin said. “No big heat waves on the horizon for us.”