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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Will the gender pay gap ever disappear? Ashland Recycling Center hits quarter-century Louie’s Restaurant hosts fourth annual Equal Pay Day Police Reports 10 things to know for Friday Education Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning Environment Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Business Louie’s Restaurant hosts fourth annual Equal Pay Day Chamber celebrates innovation in the food, wine and beer industries Cars We Remember: 1964 Olds F-85 owner seeks information Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Odyssey Silvio Calabi: Passat 1.8T Sport is satisfyingly rational Politics and elections Arthur I. 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It's not getting any easier High school SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race Grizz softball team keeps rolling AHS girls edge Roseburg Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Southern Oregon University SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race For Raiders, a homecoming Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Baldrica sets pace for AHS girls Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Our View: Help fill empty bowls in Ashland Jeffrey Gillespie: Buying the presidency Editorial Our View: Help fill empty bowls in Ashland Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Our View: Ashland High benefits as cycle racing club gets rolling Our View: Ashland is prepared, Firewise Letters Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 11 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Columns Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Jeffrey Gillespie: Buying the presidency Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Go to the poetry reading at the library on Sunday Community blog: Poems for parenting A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Five picks for entertainment this week Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability A tale of two plays at OSF Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director Backstage: 'Poof: Something that wasn’t there is there' Music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: Based-on-fact ‘True Story’ asks, ‘Who’s fooling who?’ Movie review: Lots of monkey business in ‘Monkey Kingdom’ Russell Crowe discusses WWI and being a first-time director 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of ‘Sound of Music’ Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories App Finder: Best Earth Day apps Health Watch: How to avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau Looking Up: Watching for the next big comet Adelante! Gallery showcases Zenga Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination ... Ticket Availability ... Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination ... Ticket Availability ... WEATHER OR NOT Weather or Not: First part of February was wet and wild Comment By Doyle Hirsch DailyTidings.com By Doyle Hirsch Posted Mar. 16, 2015 at 2:37 PM By Doyle Hirsch Posted Mar. 16, 2015 at 2:37 PM » Social News Wet and wild: No, I'm not describing a frat house pool party but the first 10 days of February. The 6.19 inches I got at my location was the wettest 10 days I've recorded this century and the second wettest 10 days I've recorded, period (my records go back to summer 1985). Only the flood of 1997 was greater: 8.44". The fact that there was very little flooding can be attributed to three factors: 1) There was virtually no snow pack to melt despite relatively warm temperatures(not the case in '97); 2) The abnormally warm January meant there was virtually no frozen ground; and 3) The warm, dry January with low moisture levels in the soil permitted a lot of the precipitation to sink in instead of running off.  That we got a lot of rain at all is in itself rather unusual. The storm came from the southwest with strong southeasterly winds. This scenario usually puts Ashland in a strong Siskiyou rain shadow and causes the infamous "Ashland Doughnut" (since there's a circle of area with lower rainfall surrounded by a ring of higher rainfall). But about one out of every eight to 10 storms will get through despite the down-slope, southeast winds. This happened in '96/97 and again this February. When this does occur, Ashland will usually get the most rainfall in the area, often even more than the "Ill-annoy" Valley, one of the wettest inland locations in Western Oregon. Another oddity of this storm was a sort of hidden cold front in the middle of the alleged warm front. A littler after midnight on Feb. 6 I noticed a distinct temperature drop of about 10 degrees and a wind shift from SSE to ESE. I didn't think much of it at the time but it had a profound effect on Mt. Ashland — they got a good shot of snow that allowed them to open with a decent base. This effect was quite localized. "Mt. Shyster," 75 miles to the south, had beaucoup rain but no snow and still remains closed. I'll bet, in hindsight, they're now regretting moving the lodge down 2,000 feet from its former location. I was more impressed by the wind than the amount of rain. Although I have definitely recorded higher gusts than the 57 mph max during the storm (I recorded a 67 mph just last December), I don't recall ever having as consistent a high velocity — in one four-hour stretch the wind hardly dropped below 40 mph. It blew down a lot of trees and fences on the east side of town. But it was far from worst I've experienced. That was on a Friday the 13th in 1983 in Gold Beach. I was staying in a single-wide mobile home up on concrete blocks, about 2 miles inland from the coast. The wind was picking up the mobile home and dropping it back down on the blocks most of the night. I figured I was a goner. All I could think of was Fred Sanford's words whenever he had a fake heart attack: "I'm comin' to join you, Elizabeth, it's the Big One!" The next morning when I drove into town, peeps were busy boarding up all the windows that had been blown out on the main street (U.S. 101). The post office, which for some reason was built facing south where the winds usually come from during storms, had its doors blown in, as well as all its windows shattered. The local paper said the National Weather Service reported gusts of 113 mph. Now that's wind! So far we're ahead on rainfall for both the so-called water year and the calendar year, but a dry spring could put us back in "Smoke City" come July and August, particularly if they're as hot as last year. Of course, we could always have a wet summer. But that's pretty uncommon — the last one I remember was 1976. And, as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, it's hard to get that mid- and low-elevation snow that's so critical for fire prevention. They say optimists live longer than pessimists, so I'm gonna call for a wet, cold spring. Of course, I also said that Apple wouldn't amount to much so I bought stock in Microsoft in the late '90s. Weather or Not by Ashland weather statistician Doyle Hirsch appears periodically. By Doyle Hirsch DailyTidings.com By Doyle Hirsch Posted Mar. 16, 2015 at 2:37 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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