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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 1, 2006 A deep snowpack statewide has brought joy to skiers and water forecasters alike. The water storage on the slopes of Mount Ashland, pictured here, is at or well above average. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Deep snowpack a big change over last year By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Last year at this time Steve Johnson was worried about the scant mountain snowpack. Indeed, by the end of February 2005, the all-important summer water supply found in the mountain snowpack ringing the Rogue and Umpqua basins was only about 41 percent of normal. Last year’s low snowpack would prompt a worried Gov. Ted Kulongoski to declare drought status in more than a dozen counties. No worries now, Johnson reports. "We’re talking more than a 70 percent difference in the snowpack this year — we’re now at 115 percent of normal," said the snow ranger for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest’s Ashland Ranger District. Statewide, despite a drier than normal February, the mountain snowpack is 116 percent of normal, said Jon Lea, a hydrologist with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Advertisement "It’s the kind of year we like to see," he told The Associated Press. "And, if everything holds, the water supply outlook is pretty good." Johnson, who measured the snow depth at four snow survey sites around Mount Ashland on Saturday, found the snow level at the 4,600-foot elevation Siskiyou Summit was 29 inches — 171 percent of normal. And the water content was 10.9 inches, some 206 percent of normal, he reported. "We have a really good mid-elevation snowpack," he said. "It’s double for the water content. And water content is the most important factor." Snowpacks hold water like a sponge — slowly releasing it come spring and summer keep streams and irrigation canals flowing and reservoirs full, he explained. "The snowpack is much more dense than normal," added Johnson, who has been surveying the snow measurement sites each winter for 16 years. "When you have denser snowpacks, the melt rate is a little slower," he said. "That means the snowpack will last a little longer in the summer." However, that is contingent upon a normal weather pattern, he said, noting that Mother Nature can be fickle. In fact, while the late February figures are above normal, they are down from the 153 percent of average precipitation with a 128 percent of average snowpack water content for the end of January. Johnson found the snowpack and water content farther up the mountain impressive at the end of February, albeit not quite as deep as the lower elevation site. He measures four sites annually at the end of each winter month. The Ski Bowl Road site, elevation 6,000 feet, had 69 inches of snow at 101 percent of average. The water content was 26 inches, making it 121 percent of normal. The Mount Ashland Switchback site and the Caliban II, both at 6,500 feet, had 81 inches and 77 inches, respectively, making them both about normal for this time of year. However, the water content of 30.7 inches at the switchback and 29 inches at Caliban II, were 113 and 115 percent of normal, respectively. "Overall, it looks really good," Johnson said. "But we generally reach our peak at the end of March. There’s definitely more to come." Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is calling for rain and snow through the end of the work week with rain this weekend. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Deep snowpack a big change over last year ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Debt Consolidation Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Advertisement s Advertisement