Oregon Snowpack Improved But Still Below Normal

The dry weather pattern continues to impact Oregon’s snowpack.  The latest statewide snowpack is 73% of average.  The best numbers are reported on the eastside of the state, where snowpacks are 91%-106% of average.  In Central Oregon, snowpacks drop to 75%-85% of normal.  And in the Oregon Cascades, snowpacks are around 65% of normal or less.  The NRCS’ Scott Oviatt said while still below average, the improved numbers are welcomed.

“We have had some variance due to storm impacts.  December brought cooler temperatures and snow, which brought these numbers up from what we were looking at on December 1^st.  But we’re still obviously behind.”

Oviatt said the biggest concern is the mountain precipitation, which he says is only 78% statewide.  Not only does Oregon need storms, but also cooler weather, ensuring snow rather than rain.  Oviatt said it’s still early and there is time to recover.

“But, each day that passes where we don’t receive snow, that means we fall further behind average, so we’ll just hope we get a continued cooler temperatures and storm impacts.”

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