So, has the drought condition in Oregon abated?

erudne · Dec 31, 2015

v0lcom13sn0w said:
yeah no sh!t i was about to go lookin for my father in laws trolling motor... ya. lol

If you find any neat guns down there, their mine!

Doc In UPlace · Dec 31, 2015

Stomper said:
OMG... the global warming is so BLINDING!!

Man, they told you to stay away from the brown acid. But NOOOoooo.

Charliehorse · Dec 31, 2015

The Heretic said:
Snowfall will not refill the aquifers.

This is twice you have put that forth as an absolute and it is far from correct. Particularly this year.
Because the ground did not freeze, the bulk of the 2' of wet snow on the ground now will go down into the aquifer - which adjoins Klamath Lake. It will not simply run off. (Plus with the snow acting as insulation, even this weeks single digits is not hard freezing the ground.) The lake is 100,000 acres and surrounding it is many hundreds more of flat acreage which is also currently under 1-2' of wet snow. More will be absorbed than will run off. That's why many areas on the east side are called 'basins'. From Ft. Klamath to Tulelake just to mention the E-SE area of the Cascades.

Also in the mountain complex to my S-SE, much of the rain and winter snow is land locked with only a few small streams that exit. Those few streams are mostly subterranean (like most streams on the E side). Most all of the snow trapped from 5-8k' feet will be absorbed in the ground - including my well water.

Yes I understand in many areas the ground water has a long way to catch up. But things aren't so cut and dried that "snow isn't helping" as you like to suggest.

The Heretic · Jan 1, 2016

I didn't say it wouldn't help the aquifers. I said it would take centuries to millennia to refill them.

oknow · Jan 1, 2016

I'm just glad the two lakes by me are only down 9 and 12 feet so they are still good to fish.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?wfo=pqr&sid=PQR&pil=RVM

jvp · Jan 13, 2016

they said it would take 7 years of better than average snow and rain to fill lake shasta in the late 70's, 3 months later full. it also helped the aquifer in the basin. just need the standard rain and snow and all will be better, not well but better. the earth will heal itself, it may not be what we want when it heals but the earth will be happier.

Jamie6.5 · Jan 13, 2016

jvp said:
they said it would take 7 years of better than average snow and rain to fill lake shasta in the late 70's, ~snip~

You remember that too huh?
The gloom-and-doomers were out in force after that year.

oknow · Jan 13, 2016

guess those melting glaciers went to californicate

BoonDocks36 · Jan 17, 2016

"Drought in Oregon" is ~Just~ another way of saying "Global Warming"

Ain't no such thing . . . . .

philip

308 · Jan 17, 2016

Sunriver has a light dusting of snow.

Ironbar · Jan 17, 2016

Well, one year cannot erase a drought, but according to the Oregon SNOTEL Snow/Precipitation report, snow pack across the state is almost unilaterally above 100%. Only a handful of test stations report below average, and even those are near full. We still have many more weeks of snow accumulation to go too.

HenryJ · Jan 17, 2016

The next few weeks will tell the tale. Snow is out there. Now we just need a flush. It needs to stay cold another couple weeks, then warm up and a good rain storm to put it in the reservoirs

jvp · Jan 21, 2016

HenryJ said:
The next few weeks will tell the tale. Snow is out there. Now we just need a flush. It needs to stay cold another couple weeks, then warm up and a good rain storm to put it in the reservoirs

that was the 100 year and 30 year floods. not the recipes that keeps us in the good. lots and late coming snows are the key.

HenryJ · Jan 23, 2016

I can not speak for all reservoirs but I do know a little about the Owyhee.
Actually historically for the Owyhee, Rain-on-Snow is the only way the reservoir fills. With a watershed that is 11,000 square miles of high mountain desert the producing majority around 5000ft. It can absorb a huge amount if it comes off slowly. Right now is the hardest time. It thaws during the day and freezes at night. The faucet just barely turns on and then shuts off. We did not get the moisture and freeze prior to the snow accumulation so it is not holding underneath.
This watershed has produced as much as 2,300,000 acre feet of water and as little as 130,000 acre feet from and average snow pack. It all depends on how it comes off. Last year our saving grace was a rain on snow event in December that brought in , or rained off what little was out there.
70, 000 acre feet of the high snow (7000ft) will go to Wild horse reservoir. That is the maintenance supply and offsets releases in June-August. That means the draw down will happen quickly and carry over not as optimistic. Late snows are nice , but they are supply for the summer streamflows and only help replenish what is being used from the reservoirs.
We are still holding our breath. We have snow out there. My last guestimate 2,000,000 acre feet of water in the snowpack out there. We have lost and gained to just maintain the last couple weeks. The reservoir sits roughly 10,000 acre feet lower than this time last year. Inflows are finally creeping back up to average.
The next couple weeks will tell a better story we hope. Traditionally things start to happen mid February. Fingers crossed