Snow levels in Oregon mountains are below normal -- again

(JANUARY 13, 2019) It has been a dry winter in Oregon. In fact, it has been drier than normal. This means there is less snowpack in the mountains. Snowpack is all the snow that builds up over the winter. The snowpack feeds the rivers and streams as it melts in the spring.

The snowpack level in Oregon is below normal again this year. The Natural Resources Conservation Service says Oregon's snowpack is at 72% of normal. Western Oregon is even lower.

This situation is happening more often. Data from the government says that more than half of the past decade (6 out of 10 years) have been below normal. Normal is calculated using the average of snowpack levels between 1981 and 2010.

"It's pretty clear that the idea of what's normal is shifting, and that we've just become accustomed to these bad or below average years," says Kathie Dello, a climate scientist with Oregon State University. "That's particularly true in years where people are still able to go skiing — we just don't notice it as much."

This can be a problem. Summers in Oregon have been dry, too. There have been droughts in some places. A drought is when there is not enough water from rain or snow. In 2018, for example, 86% of Oregon was in "severe drought" and some parts were in "extreme drought". This causes problems with farming, wildfires, and wildlife, especially fish.