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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 23, 2003 Seven-year-old Jordon Curtis, Medford, is ready and waiting on the rain-soaked Mount Ashland ski area parking lot Wednesday for ski instructors John and Denise Rice to gear up. Wind and rain made for a less-than-perfect day on the mountain. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Call of the mild It’s still winter, but rain, warm winds raise temperatures, shrink snowpacks By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune It’s not an indication of global warming, but Jackson County has been particularly balmy this winter. Temperatures, which have averaged about 10 degrees above normal for the past few days, have remained slightly above normal for the past three months. This January, the National Weather Service reports the average temperature at 4 degrees above the normal temperature of 42.5 degrees. In December, it was 3.4 degrees warmer than the normal 41.5 degrees, and November was 1.8 degrees above the normal 43.9 degrees. "Generally, when it is wet here it is also mild," said state climatologist George Taylor. Warm prevailing winds have been hitting Oregon from the south in what the National Weather Service describes as an El Ni�o pattern. It also brought in subtropical storms that rolled over Jackson County in December and early January, said Taylor. In fact, December — with 7.19 inches of precipitation recorded in Medford — was the seventh wettest on record, according to the weather service. Taylor said the warmer temperatures in Oregon are just part of a normal weather pattern. Weather officials predict the pattern to continue through the winter. Despite the warm weather, the snowpack is not too far behind the average, with Crater Lake at 70 inches compared to a normal 87 inches, according to the weather service. But the warmer conditions are still wreaking havoc on the slopes of Mount Ashland. "We need snow," complained Marie Wilson, who works at the ski rental shop. "We’re tired of it raining." The snowpack is good, with 80 inches at the lodge and 122 inches at the top, but with the rain, the snow becomes slushy, then freezes over, creating icy conditions. Wilson, who said the slopes are groomed regularly to improve skiing conditions, said business has been a little off recently, especially when it starts raining on the mountain. After taking a few runs down the slopes Wednesday, snowboarder Thad Gala of Ashland said, "It’s real wet. There are a lot of runs that are pretty choppy from the slush." Snow conditions were still pretty good in the trees, he said. Rain was falling at the lodge Wednesday, but Gala said it was snowing off and on at the top of the mountain. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S