PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The region’s Valentine’s Day snow extended past the Cascades and delivered severely needed precipitation to Crook County, the most drought-troubled region in the Western U.S.
The storm brought 1 to 3 inches of snow to much of Crook County. KOIN 6 News Meteorologist Josh Cozart said that any amount of precipitation is significant for the area, as it’s been in a state of “exceptional drought” since June of 2021.
“Crook County got in on the beneficial snow with this latest low-pressure system that brought snow to parts of the Portland metro area,” Cozart said. “This is particularly important as Crook County remains in one of the worst drought locations in the state.”
While the snowfall helps, Oregon state climatologist Larry O’Neill told KOIN 6 News that the region’s drought conditions are unlikely to improve based on the single snowstorm. The U.S. Drought Monitor, which records and publishes weekly drought data, also cuts off its weekly data at 4 a.m. every Tuesday. So, the full effect of the storm is unlikely to appear in this week’s drought report, which is published every Thursday.
“There probably won’t be any improvements in drought conditions,” O’Neil said. “It looks like Central Oregon in general received little beneficial precipitation with this system and has been continuing a trend to well below normal for this water year.”