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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 11, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 24, 2005 A springlike day meant outdoor fun for people across the Rogue Valley, including these four homeschoolers from Ashland out for an afternoon ride. From the left, Kavi Sears, Taj Hertherstone (top), Will Terrall and Teja Sears roll through Garfield Park. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven February: How dry it was Valley is 1.4 inches below normal precipitation for the month; warm days are up to 10 degrees above average By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune While Southern California begins to dry out after another bruising round of rainy weather, a very springlike February in the Rogue Valley is about to become history. Medford’s high temperature Wednesday reached 68 degrees, a bit shy of the record high of 73, set in 1995. National Weather Service forecasters expect the mercury to top out at 64 today, eight degrees off the day’s record high of 72. Medford’s normal high temperature for today is 55, according to the NWS. "It happens almost every year," NWS meteorologist Mike O’Brien said of the recent spell of warmer-than-average weather in Southern Oregon. Advertisement What is far from normal is the light amount of rain seen in Southern Oregon during February. Through Wednesday, just .28 inch of precipitation was recorded at the Medford airport since Feb. 1, about 1.4 inches below the average. O’Brien said this month will likely end up being the fifth- or sixth-driest February in Medford’s history. Dry conditions in Southern Oregon could continue through the end of the month, although a slim chance of precipitation remains in the forecast for Sunday and Monday. "The timing and location (of possible rainfall) remains very uncertain," O’Brien said. Most of the Northwest is seeing a generous amount of February sunshine thanks to a high-pressure ridge that is keeping daily high temperatures unseasonably warm. If the ridge breaks down, highs in the Rogue Valley could dip into the upper 50s by Sunday, according to the NWS. Morning lows in Medford are expected to remain in the 30s through the weekend. Still, no significant precipitation is in sight. "All of the weather systems are going to the north or the south" of the region, O’Brien said. Experts worry that below-average winter precipitation in the Northwest will mean bad news for the region’s water supply this summer, and increase the chance of wildfires. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s