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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 Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Since You Asked: Ducks will see greenbacks from NCAA bowl games Get Up & Go: Jan. 9 Captured bear cub awaits her fate Man tried to throw woman off balcony of Ashland hotel Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Man tried to throw woman off balcony of Ashland hotel Caregiver indicted for theft from elderly woman Man allegedly tried to use fake $50 bills Medford CERT team takes shape Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Education Medford School Board meeting deferred because of Ducks game Medford bulks up student support for math, reading Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Environment OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock State News Timber group updates green label forestry standards Attorney: Use Boy Scout files in sex-abuse trial Oregon capitalizes on championship run Suit targets 'auto-hold' video poker strategy 'Portlandia' takes a different path in season 5 Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Richard Allen Wickham Giovanni Batista Dorothy Lee (Bussell) Davis Robert Charles Pollock Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Haugen's big game spurs RVA Aldridge powers Blazers past Heat, 99-83 Arizona pulls away from Ducks LOCAL REPORT Knicks continue slide, fall to Rockets Varsity 541 College Sports Arizona pulls away from Ducks Beavers still perfect at home Student sues UO after claiming rape by players Buckeyes don't believe they're underdogs Nebraska's Riley appreciates warm welcome Pro Sports Aldridge powers Blazers past Heat, 99-83 Knicks continue slide, fall to Rockets Rusty Federer survives second round Rodgers returns to practice for Pack Rogues hire Church as new GM Community Sports Business Latest Stories Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Blog: One Frenchman's perspective on Feb. 7 attack Medford airport traffic flies to new heights After seven decades in Medford, Larson's will be emptied Saturday Patchwork of talents Real Estate News Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Jan. 9 Our View: It's best to prepare for the worst Michael Gerson: Are Democrats stuck in 1979? Granlund cartoon: Charlie Hebdo tribute Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Editorials Our View: It's best to prepare for the worst Our View: Falls has work to do to restore trust Our View: WISE project offers many benefits Our View: Waiting a little longer for the bus Other Views: Oregon's GMO battle is far from over Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 9 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 8 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 7 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 6 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Guest Opinion: Get the best deal on pipeline Guest Opinion: Say yes to clean energy jobs, no to the LNG project Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Lifestyle Latest stories Looking Up: Warm window to the stars Fishing Report: Jan. 9, 2015 Year of the crossbow? Outdoor excursions include mountain lookout, ice lake Bottomfish limits likely to be reshuffled Food Community blog: Happy New Beer Year! Community blog: Scanty spuds stretch winter greens into salad Entertaining with a gift of treasure Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Community blog: Farm share boosts resolve to eat more veggies Home and Garden 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Health Community blog: Tale of the Tape Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Theater Tangled up in Dylan OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Music 100 Watt Mind unveils 'Creatures' American Guitar Masters play the Imperial Chamber Music Concerts presents Tesla Quartet Blues jam tonight at Little Brown Jug Songwriters Pete Herzog and Dennis Walker release 'Waiting for the Rain' Community Events Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dining Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Bottomfish limits likely to be reshuffled ... Our View: It's best to prepare for the worst ... Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal ... Bottomfish limits likely to be reshuffled ... Our View: It's best to prepare for the worst ... Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal ... WINTER FORECAST Clear skies ahead? Early predictions of an El Nino winter have given way to talk of another dry season Comment By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2014 @ 3:47 pm Updated Sep 12, 2014 at 5:45 PM By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2014 @ 3:47 pm Updated Sep 12, 2014 at 5:45 PM » Social News Unless they're strong to record-setting, El Niños don't mean much to weather forecasters in Southern Oregon. Although there were California dreams early this year of a strong El Niño, most models are pointing to a weak or mild event, said Ryan Sandler, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Medford. What that will mean for Southern Oregon is still up in the air, although there are suggestions of a warmer and drier winter. A strong El Niño typically brings heavy winter rain to Southern California, while leaving much of Oregon and Washington with lower-than-average precipitation during winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "With a weak El Niño, it's all over the board for us here in Medford," said Ryan Sandler, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Medford. "Some are wet, some are normal, some are dry." El Niño is a weather phenomenon associated with warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean surrounding the equator. In what is defined as a La Niña event, tradewinds blowing westward off South America slowly push warm surface water from the equatorial Pacific toward Indonesia. In its place, cool water rises from the depths off the South American coast. A strong La Niña can lead to severe monsoons around Indonesia and abnormally dry conditions on the coast of South America. During La Niña events, the Pacific Northwest typically experiences colder, wetter winters, according to the NOAA. During an El Niño, the westward tradewinds cease and the equatorial Pacific's warm surface water slowly drifts back toward South America. Typically, as this happens, Indonesia's usual monsoons move east as well, because the warm water and subsequent mass evaporation allowing for the monsoons to form is drifting east. The events, which affect North America's jet streams that blow in off the Pacific, occur every three to five years, and El Niño events are typically more frequent than La Niña events, according to the NOAA.  Of course, there is far more at play affecting weather patterns than just El Niño and La Niña events, Sandler said. "Most of the predictions are forecasting a weak El Niño this year," Sandler said. "It's not a favorable outlook for us ... early in the (winter) it's showing drier than normal, transitioning to equal chances. We want to see cool and wet." Three-month outlooks maps issued in August by the NOAA forecast a warm and dry winter in the Pacific Northwest.  Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/swhlr.  By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Mail Tribune Posted Sep. 12, 2014 @ 3:47 pm Updated Sep 12, 2014 at 5:45 PM » 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. 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 Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. 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