Oregon was 1.4 degrees warmer than average in 2023 and saw 89% of normal precipitation, said Larry O’Neill, state climatologist.

Overall, the year tied for the 14th warmest on record and continued a warming trend, he said.

While the summer was one of the warmest on record, February through May was cooler than normal across the state, particularly in southeast Oregon.

Cold temperatures at higher elevations helped preserve heavy snow that fell in February.

City data

Population centers large and small were warmer than average, O’Neill said.

Portland topped its average by 2.7 degrees and had its second warmest year on record.

The Rose City set nine daily high temperature records in 2023 and had only one daily low record.

The entire Willamette Valley saw similar trends for 2023, O’Neill said.

Medford was 2.6 degrees above average, its seventh highest mark. Precipitation at Medford was 72% of average, making it the 12th driest year for the city.

Lower elevations in Southern Oregon missed out on winter rains and experienced dry soil conditions, but snowpack replenished reservoirs such as Applegate and Klamath, O’Neill said.

“Irrigation demand was pretty high, but it wasn’t something the system couldn’t keep up with,” he added.

Central Oregon was warm and parched. Readings at Redmond Municipal Airport were 2.3 degrees warmer than typical and only 66% of average precipitation, marking the 10th driest year on record there.

“The Bend area really didn’t recover from the drought last year, even though it had a good snowpack,” O’Nell said.

“The landscape all around, the soil was still much drier than normal, creating increased irrigation demand. … We did see impacts to yields and crop rotations, even though people are starting to get a bit used to it now because they have several years of practice,” O’Neill added.

Pendleton had its ninth warmest year and was 1.8 degrees above average.

Astoria had its 13th warmest year at 1.9 degrees above normal, setting six record daily highs versus one low.

Heat trends

Statewide, the average temperature, a balance of the low and high every day of the year for nearly 130 years across the state, is 46.7 degrees.

Since 1985, there have only been a few years below that average, and four of Oregon’s 10 hottest years have come since 2014, O’Neill said.

He added that Oregon’s warmer conditions coincide with a trend throughout most of the rest of the U.S.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared 2023 the planet’s hottest year on record.

“We’re now getting into this uncharted territory. Our natural and human systems are struggling to cope with it. In Oregon, we’re seeing adverse impacts on our water supply. The snowpack is becoming less over time,” O’Neill said.

That creates wide ranging impacts for industry, wildlife and even hydroelectric power.

Heat during the summer also is creating problems for human health and increasing the occurrence and intensity of wildfires and smoke.

“Maybe it’s not a public health crisis yet, but in the coming years, it’s projected to get much, much worse,” O’Neill said.