snowpack

Many ski resorts across the West have been forced to close early this year. An unseasonably warm winter has led to one of Oregon’s worst snow seasons on record.

Sen. Ron Wyden spoke with state foresters in Medford about what to expect for the upcoming wildfire season.

With reservoirs brimming — but snowpack abysmal — experts warn of a potentially early fire season.

It’s been a low-snow year for slopes across Oregon, including Mt. Ashland.

This year's unusually warm and dry winter brought with it little snow across much of Oregon. Water managers and farmers are now figuring out whether they’ll have enough water.

A record-shattering heat wave is rapidly melting California’s snowpack. The early melt means less water when the state needs it most.

If conditions don’t change, it could spell a challenging year ahead for cities, aquatic wildlife, outdoor recreation, farming, hydropower facilities, and, possibly, a longer-lasting wildfire season.

Prolonged dry, warm conditions this winter have led to the worst snowpack levels the state has seen since 1981, according to Oregon’s state climatologist Larry O’Neill.

Much of Oregon is facing a mix of winter weather impacts, with mountain snow building in the south, strong winds easing in parts of Eastern Oregon, and minor coastal flooding expected during high tides.

The region is experiencing unusually warm and dry conditions, scientists find, and snowpack is at record lows for this time of year

It’s almost mid-December and Oregon’s Timberline, Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Ashland ski areas still don’t have enough snow to open up their lifts.

At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is far better than last year. But it’s nothing like the record-smashing 2023.