Think Snow

Think Snow

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A bit of winter weather has greeted the Northwest the first week of December. Farmers who rely on irrigation during the growing season hope it's a sign of a colder, wetter winter that results in a strong mountain snowpack. Yesterday, in my Northwest report, I talked about cooling temperatures combined with precipitation which means, ultimately, the potential to build snow pack. Whether the Northwest enjoys a winter wonderland in the months to come is still in doubt, but this fall has had plenty of precipitation in the form of rain.

Margaret Matter is a water resource specialist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. She says while it's been plenty wet the past couple of months, it has also been relatively warm: "If I could wave a magic wand, it would be for cooler temperatures, wet conditions over the next 2-3, at least 2 months anyway, so that we can build up a snowpack and have cool enough temperatures to maintain it, and then gradual warming instead of the rapid warming we've had for the past two years."

There is plenty of time to build a good snowpack, but there will continue to be concern until that happens. Come April, farmers and ranchers should have a better idea what kind of water year 2017 will be.

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