Western Oregon finally escapes drought

The recent deluge of rain and snow has helped Western Oregon shake off the shackles of a drought that has plagued the Beaver State since last spring.

The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook map, released Thursday, shows all of Western Oregon either not in a drought or in a situation where “drought removal is likely.”

Above-average precipitation since October, combined with a near-average snowpack throughout the Cascade Range, prompted the escape from a drought that began taking hold in early June.

“Things got a lot better in the last couple of weeks, especially the rain but we also finally got some snow,” said Kathie Dello, deputy director of the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University. “This is just a snapshot in time — and given El Niño things are still up in the air for the rest of the winter — but overall it’s very encouraging.”

The above-average rainfall can be seen in Salem and around the state. The Capitol City has seen 18.2 inches of rain since Oct. 1, up from an average of 13.2.

Northwest Oregon is at 150 percent of normal for precipitation, while the central and southern Willamette Valley is at 130 percent of average.

Snowpack in the north and central Cascade Range is at 65 to 90 percent of normal, but 134 percent in Southern Oregon and well above average in much of the rest of the state.

All of these things are good, said Andy Bryant, hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Portland. But it’s not a silver bullet.

“The tough thing is that most of this water isn’t going to help us next summer,” Bryant said. “The snow should help, and the soil moisture helps, and it helps a few of the reservoirs in the state, but the reality is that what happens in February, March and April is more significant.

“If it gets to January and all of a sudden we stop getting snow — and that’s what happened last year — then we’re still going to be in trouble again next summer.”

While Western Oregon has mostly escaped the drought, the same could not be said for Eastern Oregon, where the “drought remains but improves.”

“It’s still going to take a lot to dig Eastern Oregon out of this drought,” Dello said.

Bryant said the major storms hitting Oregon so far have been unexpected and could change at any time. 

“The thought is that once we get into the heart of winter, the influence of El Niño will bring the big storm south into California, and we’d see less direct impact from Pacific storms,” Bryant said. “But then again, that hasn’t happened yet. We’re getting slammed now and that’s going to continue for at least the next week and a half.”

In other words, while the drought in Western Oregon might be history for the moment, that doesn’t mean it’s gone for good.

Zach Urness is a self-described “weather nerd” who has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for eight years. He is the author of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon” and can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Facebook at Zach’s Oregon Outdoors or @ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.