The weather brings a light snowstorm into freshly greened-up pastures south of the Enterprise Airport on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

WALLOWA COUNTY — Coming off one of the driest and hottest summers in recorded history, Wallowa County and much of Northeast Oregon has benefited from a recent run of wet, cool weather.

While the central and southern portions of the state still are extremely dry, leading to Gov. Kate Brown to use the word “megadrought” in an address last week, Eastern Oregon has seen drought conditions improve. That doesn’t mean effects of last year’s dry conditions still aren’t being felt, and fire season is coming, if not as soon as initially thought.

Cooler, wetter weather in April and to begin May has helped improve conditions in northern portions of Oregon. Wallowa County has areas of moderate, severe and extreme drought according to the latest drought monitor released May 17. Most of Umatilla, Morrow and Union counties are abnormally dry — the least severe drought ranking.

Much of the moisture the north has enjoyed eluded central and southern Oregon where a large area of exceptional drought conditions exist.

The combination of moisture and cool temperatures can be seen in the local green up, but more importantly is the continued presence of the snowpack on the mountains.

“In March, we were seeing the snowpack melting pretty rapidly already,” said Marilyn Lohmann, a National Weather Service hydrologist in Pendleton.

With the snowpack at just 70-80% of normal, it was projected to melt between a month to two months early. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.

“The cooler weather has allowed the snowpack to stay in place, and in some cases actually build,” Lohmann said. “It will now be melting in a more normal timeframe. We should see stream flows last longer into the early summer months, which will help irrigation and just put more moisture back into the soil.”

April saw 1.37 inches of moisture and 6.3 inches of snow in Wallowa County, and just over an inch of precipitation and an additional nine inches of snow in Lostine, Lohmann said. Precipitation over the last 30 days has ranged from 130-200% of normal, making for a significant difference from just 90 days ago.

Forage issue

The combination of cool and wet is a positive, but also it has its downside.

“For forage, that combination doesn’t allow it to grow,” Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash said. “We have seen a really slow progression of forage this year, and grasslands in particular have been very slow to come.”

Nash said that puts a lot of pressure on people with livestock who want to get out to pasture, and has led to feeding more hay at a significant financial cost because of the scarcity. This year’s hay crop likely won’t begin to come to fruition until the middle of June at the earliest because of the slower growing conditions.

That comes on top of last summer’s drought that Nash called “the most severe that anyone alive in Wallowa County has ever seen.” The combination of overuse a year ago and the slow growth of forage this year continues to put stress on those raising livestock even as moisture has recently returned.

Summer is coming

Lohmann said the summer outlook calls for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation.

“Through the end of May and first week of June, I think we will still be on the cool side and then transition to our summer pattern of drier, warmer conditions,” she said.

As wildfires become more probable during summer months, it is important individuals prepare to protect their home and belongings. Here are some tips to keep the immediate area around your home safe:

Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris and pine needles that could catch embers.

Replace or repair any loose or missing shingles or roof tiles to prevent ember penetration.

Reduce embers that could pass through vents in the eaves by installing 1/8-inch metal mesh screening.

Clean debris from exterior attic vents and install 1/8-inch metal mesh screening to reduce embers.

Repair or replace damaged or loose window screens and any broken windows. Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire mesh to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating.

Move any flammable material away from wall exteriors — mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles — anything that can burn. Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.