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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 31, 2003 Mt. Ashland snowpack runs far above normal; it’s too soon, however, to predict effectiveness By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Steve Johnson intended to take the first snow survey of the winter in the Rogue River National Forest Monday morning. But deep snow in his driveway in the mountains overlooking Ashland kept the seasoned Forest Service snow ranger from getting an early start. No matter. He made it out early Tuesday morning to snowshoe in from the Mount Ashland Access Road to the Siskiyou Summit snow survey site. There, at elevation 4,600 feet, he measured the snow depth at a whopping 300 percent of normal. The snow was an average 31 inches deep and contained 5.9 inches of water. The all-important water content was more than 230 percent of average. Advertisement The normal reading at the end of December is 10 inches of snow containing about 2.5 inches of water. The agency began keeping tabs at the site in the 1930s. The mountain snowpack provides a bank of water for summer streamflows and reservoir storage. Measurements are taken at the Siskiyou Summit at the end of December. Three other higher elevation sites are added to the survey at the end of January, February and March. The site is protected from the wind, making it ideal for accurate measurements, said Johnson, who took 10 samples. Wind can increase snow depth or scour it off. Most of the snow appeared to be new, dumped during the storm that swept into the area Sunday, he said. Although it is well above normal for this time of year, it’s well below the record 52 inches of snow containing 13 inches of water at the end of December in 1965. But it’s far above the seven inches of snow containing a mere 1.9 inches of water at the end of 2000. Still, Johnson isn’t about to make predictions on the coming water year. "What we have now is nice to have, but it’s way too early to make predictions," he said. Statewide, the mountain snowpack is about 106 percent of average, according to Stan Fox, the snow hydrologist for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. Last year at this time, Oregon’s snowpack was 64 percent of average, the third worst in the West. Citing telemetry readings (automatic remote recordings) high in the Rogue-Umpqua Basin, Fox reported Tuesday that the combined snow depth and water content is about 124 percent of normal. For instance, Bigelow Camp, some 6,000 feet high on the south side of the Applegate River drainage, the snow and water content is now 141 percent of average. However, like Johnson, Fox wasn’t about to make a water year forecast. Some long-range weather prognosticators have predicted a wet, cold year while others say it will be drier than average, he observed. "There is no telling what the next three months are going to be like," he said. "The next three months are critical. We want to have a good mountain snowpack in April. "There is no telling," he said of coming winter weather. "But we do know we’re off to a good start." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times