Oregon Snowpack Data Paints Picture Of Two States: East And West

PORTLAND, OR – Right now, there are two Oregons – east and west – and, when it comes to the snowpack, they are not equal. While levels on the eastern part of the state are significantly above normal, the same is not true in the western part of the state.

Despite the recent rains – with more expected – areas in the Willamette Valley and by Hood and Sandy, are below normal.

That's the word from a report on Sunday from the Natural Resources Conservation Services of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

Compounding the problem is that despite the better snowpack conditions in eastern Oregon, the entire state is experiencing at least "abnormally dry" conditions.

The U.S. Drought monitor had almost 75 percent of Oregon in "severe drought" or "extreme drought" conditions at the end of January.

"Based on current conditions and the long-range weather forecast, water supplies may be limited this summer across Oregon," the NRCS wrote on Feb 1.

A report last month warned that these conditions may not only be the new normal, it could get worse.

The study by Nick Siler of Oregon State University's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and two co-authors appears in the most recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

They found that while natural changes in the surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean have helped keep the snowpack from declining, that's not likely to last.

The result would be to see the winter snowpack decline at a faster pace over the next few decades.

Siler says that the changing conditions may have been "great for us so far, it's bad news for the future."

Graphic via NRCS/USDA.