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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Wyden fields questions during Medford town hall meeting ... Spieth, amateur Dunne eyeing history at St. Andrews ... Our View: Court issues civics lesson to school district ... Wyden fields questions during Medford town hall meeting ... Spieth, amateur Dunne eyeing history at St. Andrews ... Our View: Court issues civics lesson to school district ... WATER YEAR 2014 precipitation improved, but not great, in Southern Oregon Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 11:35 AM Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 11:35 AM » Social News Grants Pass Daily Courier The year 2014 ended with a slight rebound from a historically dry 2013, but snowpack is still lagging in the mountains. The statewide average of water content in the snowpack is 52 percent, slightly above the dismal pace of 2013-14, which had a historically low snowpack, according to Julie Koeberle, hydrologist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Portland. All the basins in western Oregon are under 50 percent. Had it not snowed more than 2 feet in northern Oregon just after Christmas, the results would be much worse statewide. "That shows how much impact one storm can have," Koeberle said. "Saturday, Sunday and Monday made up for lost time." Southern Oregon also got some much-needed snow, but the snowpack is still only 31 percent of average in the Rogue-Umpqua basins. Koeberle said reservoir storage in early December fell to record lows, and has slightly improved. She and other water-watchers are hoping for a cold and wet January through April. "Two consecutive low snow years does not bode well for water supplies," Koeberle said. Koeberle said the problem this winter has been warm storms, as all of the Cascade Mountain snow survey sites are above normal for precipitation. "That helped some of the reservoir storage," she said. "We're a lot wetter than we were last year."  MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 5, 2015 at 11:35 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501