Oregon drought

Weather forecasts expect temperatures to climb into the upper 90s this week, with some locations expected to see highs well above the century mark.  And with those hot, dry conditions, the concern about wildfire risk grows. “Hopefully nothing like what we’ve experienced over the last couple of wildfire seasons, but never the less, sometimes when you have the cool wet springs, you get a lot of buil

With no major wildfires burning in the state so far this summer, Oregon’s Department of Transportation would like to keep it that way.  ODOT’s Kacey Davey says vehicles are the number one cause of summertime wildfires in Oregon. “Driving off...

April and May combined for the 4th wettest on record for Oregon.  But that doesn’t mean the region is done with drought.  Dr. Joe Casola, NOAA’s Western Regional Climate Services Director, said all of that moisture helped. “Streams had a lot of ...

Dan Pehan with Monty's Plant Food explains how they can help alfalfa growers rebound from the challenging spring.

According to the latest Drought Monitor Numbers, over half of Oregon is designated as severe, extreme or exceptional drought.  Farmers and ranchers in many portions of the state are already worried they won’t have enough water this growing season.  And some prod...

Oregon’s senior Senator wants federal agencies to take a bigger step in improving the water situation in the west, amid ongoing drought. In Tuesday’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing in Washington D.C., Senator Ron Wyden used Oregon as an example of the dire circumstances. “The su ...

Thanks to snow and rain this spring, the drought picture has improved noticeably in Washington. According to the latest USDA numbers, only 17% of the state is under a D-1, or Moderate Drought designation, which is roughly half of the figure reported last week ...

With the start of summer less than three weeks away, what can the state of Oregon expect when it comes to soil moisture? Oregon Department of Forestry Lead Meteorologist Pete Parsons said the wetter than average spring is expected to continue into the summer months ...

It’s a story that livestock producers are familiar with up and down the west coast; a widespread hay shortage, or difficulty finding enough quality hay. Todd Nash, President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, said there are a number of factors impacting Oregon growers; most notably, ongoing drought. “Th ...

We’re still in the month of May, but officials in Salem are already sounding the alarm about the 2022 wildfire season. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said during a recent press conference conditions are ripe for another bad fire year. "Already this year, I have declared drought emergencies in 15 counties. This ...