Oregonians generally don’t complain about too little rainfall. However, this fall, October through the middle of December, we are noticeably under our averages here in northwestern Oregon. Hillsboro, Oregon, averages around 37 inches of rain a year (measured at the Hillsboro Airport). So far at the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve weather station (3-4 miles from the airport) there have been only 18 inches of rain this calendar year and about 5.4 inches this fall.
Jackson Bottom Flooding 2007
The statistics published on the Jackson Bottom web site (here’s the link) indicate that the annual amount of rainfall in recent years can vary as much as 25 inches. So maybe we don’t want to sound the alarm yet; but in the past two and a half months we are six inches under the average.
What could be the affect of this? Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is a 725 acre wetlands that normally floods in the winter months over ¾ of its area. The flood waters come from the Tualatin River and Dairy Creek that overflow their banks into the wetlands. These flooded areas provide a winter home for thousands of water birds of many types. If it doesn’t rain enough, the rivers don’t fill, and the wetlands don’t flood.
The heavier rains are late this year. For the next week the prediction is for very cold temperatures and light to moderate rainfall, not enough to raise our average. We need 15-20 inches of rain in the next 3-4 months to reach our average.
Rain, Rain don’t go away,
Don’t come another day,
Come today.
