PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon’s mountains are brimming with snow.
According to the National Weather Service’s “snow water equivalent” data, which records the depth of water that would cover the ground if the snowpack was in a liquid state, most of the state’s mountains are currently covered with one-and-a-half to two times the amount of snowpack typically recorded in these regions.
National Weather Service Hydrologist Andy Bryant told KOIN 6 News that the healthy snowpack is good news for the region’s fish populations.
“The spring snowpack is a big benefit for summer water supply for almost every part of the state,” Bryant said. “It also helps with sustaining streamflow in streams, which makes for happy fish and other riverine creatures.”
While beneficial, the snow levels could also create spring flood risks in Eastern Oregon.
“There is a limited risk in Eastern Oregon, including the area around Burns and a few rivers draining the Wallowa Range and northern portions of the Blue Mountains,” he said.
Bryant said that it is too early to know if the snowpack will benefit the summer wildfire conditions. KOIN 6 will continue to track flood and fire conditions around the state as temperatures increase during the spring and summer seasons.