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Southern Oregon breaks rainfall records Saturday Apr 29, 2017 at 4:47 PM Apr 29, 2017 at 4:50 PM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Another wet month on the books. It sounds like a broken record. In fact, it is a broken record. Medford's 115 days of rain since Oct. 1 shattered the previous record of 104 set in 1997-98, according to meteorologist Michelle Cohen of the National Weather Service. The 128 days of precipitation in Grants Pass in that span eclipsed the previous mark of 127 for the October-April span, set in 1982-83. Another way of looking at it: Only 72 days did not have precipitation. The damage was spread out in Grants Pass, with rainy shoulder seasons that included a near-all-time record of 12.59 inches in October. The December-through-February winter total of 70 rainy or snowy days was only the 26th highest, Cohen said. But March and April may as well have been winter — 40 of the 59 days had at least a trace. April's 3.19 inches so far tops the average of 1.99 for the month, the sixth of the last seven months to be above average. The wet season that ended March 31 had a mind-boggling 47 inches in Grants Pass, 50 percent more than the annual average for rain of 32 inches. Only 1973-74 had more, 47.83 inches, since 1950. That means including April, more than 50 inches of precipitation has landed on Grants Pass since Oct. 1, more than Portland. We're not alone in the mold madness. As of Friday, Portland had 147 days of rain since Oct. 1, eclipsing the old mark of 142 in 1998-99, according to the Associated Press. And if that makes you feel better, Astoria has had 169 days of rain since October, smashing the old record set in 1921. Astoria's total rainfall from Oct. 1 through Friday morning stood at 84.78 inches, which is the ninth-highest amount on record (the most rain was 92.17 inches recorded during the 1915-16 rainy season). By comparison, Portland had 47.05 inches since Oct. 1 as of Friday morning — so Astoria has had nearly twice as much rain in the same period. All told, the sogginess is getting out of hand. Sun lovers take heart: The warmest days of the year are at hand. That's not surprising, since May begins Tuesday. Other than a few clouds and possible sprinkles Sunday, sun is forecast through next weekend. The National Weather Service predicts high temperatures to rise above 80 degrees for the first time, with 82 predicted for Wednesday. All of the moisture, despite the hardships of winter, has its benefits. As of Friday, the water content of Oregon's snowpack was above 150 percent in much of the state. In the Rogue-Umpqua basins combined it was 147 percent, same as the Klamath. That bodes well for irrigation, recreation, fisheries health and delaying the start of wildfire season. — Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]