science environment

Oregon's Snowpack Is Above Average, But Don't Celebrate Yet

By Emily Fuller (OPB)
March 30, 2017 11:45 p.m.

Researchers measured the snowpack on Mount Hood on Thursday and found Oregon’s snowpack is at 125 percent of normal.

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Researchers conducting a snow survey found the snowpack in the Mount Hood basin is 130% of normal.

Researchers conducting a snow survey found the snowpack in the Mount Hood basin is 130% of normal.

Courtesy of Natural Resources Conservation Service

Scott Oviatt, snow survey supervisor with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said an above-average snowpack is a good sign for Oregon.

“Our April 1 water supply forecast values will reflect the amount of snow we currently have, so they should come out relatively optimistic with most areas forecast to have normal or above normal stream flows throughout the spring and summer,” he said.

But a lot can happen in the month of April.

Oviatt said last year unseasonably warm temperatures in April melted a lot of the snow. And there’s a chance that could happen again.

"We've cautioned folks that May 1 will be our bellwether for what we expect for the rest of the year," he said.

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