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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 7, 2005 March rains give region a boost By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Who knew March could be so dry and so wet — in the same year? Three weeks of warm, dry weather on the heels of an arid February raised fears of the worst summer drought in Southern Oregon since 1977. Then a series of storms dumped nearly a month’s worth of rain in 10 days, soaking dry soils and postponing water worries, at least for a while. "An inch of rain in March is worth four or five inches in November," said George Taylor, Oregon’s state climatologist, because the water arrives at a time so close to when it will be needed. March ended with 1.77 inches of rain at the Medford airport, just .08 inches below the normal monthly average. The region’s snowpack still hovered around just 40 percent of the normal average, but Southern Oregon fared much better than most of the state during a dry winter. In Portland, for example, the winter just ended was the third driest on record. In Salem, the second driest; in Astoria, the seventh. But in Medford there have been 26 winters with less moisture since 1912 (when the National Weather Service began collecting data here), according to records analyzed by the Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University. Advertisement The wet season (October to March) ended here with 12.49 inches of rain (as measured at the Medford airport), 92 percent of the normal average (13.56 inches) for the 30-year period from 1971 to 2000. Unfortunately, relatively little moisture fell during the coldest months, when snowpack usually accumulates in the mountains. Fifty-six percent of the region’s rainfall came during October (the wettest in 25 years) and December. An early January storm dumped more than a foot of snow as low as 1,500 feet, but then winter weather essentially disappeared until the vernal equinox. Clear skies during March provided enough sunshine to push average daily high temperatures 5.2 degrees above normal. Evening low temperatures were 1.1 degrees above average. Despite the skein of warm days, only one weather extreme in March qualified for the record books. Medford recorded a high temperature of 80 degrees on March 11, breaking the old record (set in 1934) by one degree. The warm days recalled March 2004, when spring announced its early arrival March 7 with 12 consecutive days of 70-degree temperatures. The mercury also climbed to 70 degrees this year on March 7, but the 70-degree temperatures ended after seven days. The average temperature for the month, 50.3 degrees, fell far short of record-making warmth. That distinction belongs to March 1934, when the average temperature was 55 degrees. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, 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 www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s