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Low snow, but no drought worries yet Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Gerard Hood, 14, of Hidden Valley uses a rock as a snowboard jump this week at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area. On Friday, Ski Ashland reported 20 inches of snow at the lodge and 27 inches on the summit. With half of average snowpack, Rogue-Umpqua area is state�s driest By Bill Kettler Snow is scarce in Southern Oregon as December slides into January, but seasoned weather watchers say it�s too early to speculate about drought next summer. "I never worry until we get into February," said Steve Johnson of the U.S. Forest Service�s Ashland Ranger District. Earlier this week, Johnson found just 50 percent of the normal average snowpack at a site he visits every year at the end of December. Just 7 inches of snow covered the ground at 4,500 feet on the north side of Siskiyou Summit. Johnson measured 1.9 inches of water in the snow. The normal average snowpack is 12 inches at the end of December and 4 inches of water. "On the south slopes at 4,500 feet, you have virtually nothing," he said. Similar reports trickled in this week from computerized reporting stations across the Rogue and Umpqua basins. With just 52 percent of the average snowpack, and 53 percent of the average water content, the Rogue-Umpqua region is the driest area in Oregon as the year ends. Southern Oregon missed the brunt of storms that rolled across the Northwest in the week before Christmas. Those storms dumped enough snow in the Cascades to push the Willamette River drainage to 84 percent of its normal amount of moisture, compared with just 50 percent at the beginning of the month. Johnson noted conditions often change rapidly in winter. He measured an almost identically low snowpack at the end of December 1999 (6 inches of snow; 1.9 inches of water), but 5 inches of rain fell in January 2000 and the winter ended with an ample snowpack. The January wet spell and a chilly, damp April boosted Medford�s annual precipitation total to slightly above average for the year despite dry weather in November and December. As of Saturday, the Medford airport had recorded 18.81 inches of rain for the year, .25 inches above the 80-year average of 18.56 inches. A few months ago, forecasters wondered whether exceptionally clear and dry weather in the Northwest meant a drought in 2001. State climatologist George Taylor said no, and recent weeks have proved him right � at least north of Roseburg "I think we will continue to catch up," he said. "I�m not anticipating a drought next summer." Taylor predicted moisture totals will bounce back to normal despite winter�s dry start. "Things tend to even out over the long run," he said, "and I�m betting that will happen here." Although the snowpack is thin in the Rogue basin, there has been enough for people to enjoy traditional winter fun during the Christmas holidays. "We�ve had tons of snowmobilers up here," said Kelly Linklater of Lake of the Woods Resort. "The Great Meadow is open, and the trails are groomed." Skiers have been dodging rocks and slathering on sunscreen. Ski Ashland and the Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park have had just enough snow to operate during the two-week holiday period, which traditionally provides a large chunk of ski resorts� income for the season. Conditions have been surprisingly good, said Johnson of the Forest Service, who oversees Ski Ashland�s operating permit. The ski area lies above the valley fog, and afternoon temperatures have climbed toward 50 degrees. "People have been skiing in T-shirts and tank tops," he said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.