Astoria, Ore. — Since the start of 2025, Oregon has experienced a significant drop in snowpack levels across several regions, raising concerns for water resources and future precipitation. While the loss of snow is noteworthy, experts say it is not yet cause for major alarm, given the heavy snow accumulation earlier in the season.
In the Hood-Sandy-Lower Deschutes basin, which includes Mount Hood, snow levels have decreased by approximately 30% since January 1. Similarly, the Willamette basin, once at 131% of the normal snowpack for the time of year, has fallen to 92%. Despite these losses, meteorologists remain cautiously optimistic, as this shift is still within typical seasonal fluctuations.
“So, it’s slightly below average, which isn’t a huge concern at this point of year,” said an expert. “We can definitely expect a few more storms that will help the snowpack catch up, and historically, we’ve seen this kind of pattern before.”
The state has seen minimal precipitation over the past two weeks, with Portland on the verge of setting a new record for consecutive dry days in January. If the city does not receive rain by Thursday, January 30, it will surpass 17 consecutive dry days—the current record for the month, set in 1948. A dry streak of this length would make it the second-longest winter dry spell on record, just behind a 23-day stretch in 1985.
However, with rain and snow back in the forecast, meteorologists are hopeful that the dry spell will soon come to an end. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has indicated that enhanced onshore flow is expected to bring heavy precipitation to the West Coast, with the highest snowfall amounts anticipated in the Cascades, Klamath, and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
For now, the state’s snowpack remains below average, but experts remain confident that winter storms may help restore balance before the season ends.
