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Region in store for 'wetter regime change' By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings Enjoy the sun while you can. The past few days of unseasonably warm weather are likely to run into what some meteorologists jokingly refer to as "regime change," shifting to more clouds and rain by the end of the week. According to National Weather Service specialist Roger Gerig, while the Rogue Valley has been stripped of snow below 4,000 feet, higher snowpacks are in much better shape, which could help mitigate drought conditions later in the year. "Overall, I think we're in better shape than last year as far as water content is concerned. The ground is saturated, so we're a little better off that way," Gerig said. Jeremy Sullivan, 9, catches the last golden rays of another sunny afternoon Monday and climbs a slide at the Helman Elementary School playground. Clear skies will likely turn cloudy starting Wednesday. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA "Snowpack-wise, we've lost a lot of low level snow, but the high level snow - 5,000 feet and better - that's fair. Another thing is that the water content is very good. For example, at Crater Lake you've got a 56-inch snowpack. Normally that would be 100 inches, but because you had a mix of snow and rain, the water content is much higher than 56 inches would normally reflect." Gerig added that the dry weather in February is more or less normal for the region, but warned of a change to a "wetter regime" following the weather shift forecast for the end of the week. A wetter regime would suit Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Prevention Specialist Dennis Turco just fine. Turco said he had received word of a number of debris burns around the valley escaping owing to dry conditions. While he added that the escaping fires were insignificant and easily brought to heel, the dry conditions underscore anxieties throughout the Rogue Valley of another summer characterized by intense wildfires. "We have a period of drying, but that's not too unusual for February. What's really going to come into play (from a fire prevention perspective) is what we get as far as spring rain. We're at the point now where the heavy winter rains are probably gone � So we're keeping eye on it and hoping we have normal rains in spring, and not an early start to fire season," Turco said. In the meantime, Mount Ashland boasts a thicker snowpack than Mount Bachelor, which bodes well for the city's water supply and for the local economy. According to Mt. Ashland Ski Area Marketing Director Gene Landsmann, the ski area is in the unusual position of being able to offer spring skiing conditions in the middle of winter. "We've got a 60-inch base, with another 113 inches on top of that. Because we've had enough wet weather, the snow has aged much faster than it normally would. You'd usually see snow like this in March. In March, we'll probably have fresh powder so you have winter skiing conditions in spring, and spring conditions in winter," Landsmann said. Conditions are such that while the mountain is not seeing the swell in traffic one would expect, Landsmann said the ski area was doing "a solid business." "We're very fortunate to be in this position compared to other mountains. Last year the Pacific Northwest had its best year ever. This year has been a disastrous year for everyone north of us. This year, we've been fortunate to be part of the California weather pattern. This time, it snowed from here south, but from here north didn't get all that much," Landsmann said. "People should enjoy it, since it's there. They can get a suntan and have a good time skiing." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -