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A bout of snowy weather in February has sent snowpack levels in the Rogue and Umpqua river basins skyrocketing in just over two weeks. The Natural Resource Conservation Service’s snow survey showed the basins’ snowpack levels lifting from 67 percent of average on Feb. 6 to 91 percent of average by Feb. 17. “We’re getting some snow — finally,” said Julie Koeberle, hydrologist with the snow survey. She said February has seen between two to three times the normal amount of precipitation after a series of wet cold fronts swept through the mountains. Crater Lake National Park recorded 114 inches of snow on the ground Sunday morning and Mt. Ashland saw eight inches fall in the last 24 hours over Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. But even as the short-term snowfall is encouraging, the long-term impact on snowpack and runoff remains uncertain. The Climate Prediction Center’s long-range forecast for the next few months projects warmer temperatures that could chip away at the progress being made in the High Cascades and Siskiyous this month. “Once we achieve a good snowpack, it becomes a question of how it melts,” Koeberle said. She said that if the higher elevations can retain moisture, especially if spring rainfall supplements the late winter snow, fire season could see a later start than recent years. “It comes down to how hot and dry the summer is,” she said. Snowpack has implications for other aspects of Southern Oregon life besides wildfire, however. Koeberle said that runoff levels can also impact hydroelectric power rates, agricultural irrigation and municipal water use. Runoff feeds nearby reservoirs, which last year were scraping the bottom of capacity in some areas. Hyatt Lake reached as low as 4 percent of capacity. An anemic fall and early winter season had weather officials concerned about whether the region had any chance of bouncing back. “Every drop helps,” said Misty Firman, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “We’ll take it while they’re giving it to us.” The coming week, the Weather Service predicts two more weather systems that will bring precipitation to the Rogue Valley. Firman said because the systems are not expected to be as cold as what the area experienced in recent weeks, they might bring rain rather than snow. “We’re not going into a dry period within the next week or so,” she said. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Kaylee Tornay at [email protected] or 541-776-4497. Follow her on Twitter @ka_tornay .