Oregon’s snowpack is at a record low for this time of year. Some areas of the Cascades haven’t received any snow yet. Ski areas are suffering and the lack of snow could affect stream flows this summer.
Oregon could experience decent storms through late March before the snowpack levels peaks in April. Liana Ramirez with the National Weather Service in Portland says the low snow levels may cause warmer water temperatures this summer.
Ramirez: “Several of our snow-tell stations throughout the Cascades are showing little to no snow and many of the sites are actually below previous record lows. But it’s not actually due to a lack of precipitation, but rather due to abnormally high temperatures.”
Ramirez says the climate prediction center’s three month outlook is forecasting above average temperatures. The national weather service is keeping an eye on potential drought conditions this summer.