April won’t make up for C. Oregon’s dry March

So far, 2013 has been a dry year for Central Oregon. Since Jan. 1, Roberts Field in Redmond has received only 0.75 inches of liquid precipitation. That places the year so far at 1.55 inches below the normal amount of precipitation seen by early April.

Last month was a little cooler than average. The average of all the high temperatures in March was two degrees below normal average high of 57. The warmest day was on Saturday the 30th, with a high of 71. The coldest night was the morning of March 4, with a low of 10 degrees.

March saw a total of 0.33 inch of moisture for the month, placing us below the expected average of 0.66″ of liquid precipitation.

It’s no surprise that Oregon is below average in basin snowpack, given the dry winter season. None of the state’s basins are at or above normal. The Deschutes Basin is at 80 percent of normal, while the Willamette Valley basin is holding at 92 percent of normal. Snowfall has been much less for the southwestern portions of the state.

Looking ahead into April, most of the Midwest is expected to be warmer than normal, while the Pacific Northwest monthly average is expected to pan out to be a more seasonable month.

In terms of moisture, it doesn’t look like the region will be making up lost ground. Central Oregon, like the rest of the country, will be at about average, meaning no extra moisture is expected to help us make gains on this year’s water deficit. April’s average amount of water accumulated at Roberts Field is 0.75 inch.

In short, the extended forecast for April has Central Oregon near average in both temperature as well as precipitation.