Bend Bulletin: Oregon's snowpack sees spectacular start to 2025
Oregon’s snowpack appeared in spectacular shape to start 2025 at 163% of normal on Jan. 1.
“Having great water supply conditions headed into the summer is definitely on the table. This is as good of a start as we could hope for,” said Larry O’Neill, state climatologist.
However, things can change drastically before April, when the snowpack should be at its peak.
“Right now is a good time to take stock in that number, but we still have a couple months to go,” O’Neill said.
At this point, Oregon’s snowpack is its healthiest since at least 2011, which melted out quite late.
Overall, the Pacific Northwest’s snowpack that’s 121% of normal. Washington is right on track but Idaho was a bit below normal to start the year.
Basin by basin
The lowest region in Oregon on Jan. 1, the Hood, Sandy and Lower Deschutes River area, was at 112% of the median for the years 1991 to 2020, according to the USDA National Resources Conservation Service.
The Harney and Malheur regions had the best snowpacks, at 234% of average.
They were followed by the John Day basin (226%), Klamath region (208%), Rogue and Umpqua basins (197%), Lake County and Goose Lake area (176%), Upper Deschutes and Crooked River basins (168%), the Grande Ronde, Burnt Powder and Imnaha area (157%), Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow region (145%) and the Willamette basin (129%).
Some of Oregon’s snowpack regions dip into neighboring states.
Sharp delineation
Oregon’s snowpack has a sharp delineation at about 4,000 feet, however.
“I was just skiing up in the Cascades. A lot of lower elevation sites aren’t doing well. Then things above 4,000 or 4,500 feet are doing really well,” O’Neill said.
Because of a warm December with atmospheric rivers, precipitation is falling as rain at lower elevations.
Far cry from 2024
This January is a far cry from early 2024, when Oregon was getting close to historically low snow levels.
“It was a little nerve wracking. … Fortunately, we had that really great storm that boosted everything up,” O’Neill said.
The past year is a good reminder of how quickly conditions can change, he added.
The 2024 snowpack ended up above typical by April and melted out close to normal.
“It did end up filling a majority of the reservoirs and it did mitigate some of the wildfire risk in the summer at higher elevations. It really had a positive impact,” O’Neill said.
Snowpack benefits
Snowmelt runoff helps fill streams and rivers for farms and fish.
In general, lower snowpack means earlier low summer flows, which could result in earlier water regulations. Low snowpack also contributes to drought.
Though Oregon is doing far better than in recent years, some areas remain parched.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, about 9% of Oregon, in the central and eastern parts of the state, is in moderate drought. An additional 30% of Oregon is facing abnormally dry conditions.
