Yachats area had its second driest May in 18 years, according to weather watchers

The weather was extremely dry during May – and cool except for one extraordinary day in the Yachats area.

And with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration saying there is a greater likelihood of an El Nino event forming in the tropical Pacific Ocean this summer, it could be a warmer and drier fall and winter.

Weather watchers for YachatsNews recorded between .42 and .63 inches of precipitation – mostly drizzle and mist – in May. The average May rainfall in the city of Yachats is 3.11 inches and up the Yachats River is 5.3 inches.

“June will be the important month for our coast as it’s typically the end of what might be called our rainy season,” said longtime weather watcher Don Tucker, who lives two miles north of Yachats and serves on the board of the Southwest Lincoln Water PUD. “Of note here is that our total rain in June is typically about an inch less than in May.”

Tucker measured .63 inches of rain and has 36.03 inches for 2023. His May amount was the second lowest in his 18 years of keeping records.

There was no measurable rain between May 10 and May 31, according to weather watcher Bob Williams, who lives in the wettest part of the area — eight miles up the Yachats River.

Adam Altson, who lives along Ocean View Drive in Yachats, recorded .43 inches of rain in May and has 35.78 inches for the year. At the nearby Yachats wastewater treatment plant, city crews recorded .42 inches in May and 33.44 inches for the year.

Julie Bailey, who lives at the 220 foot elevation mark on Radar Road in Yachats, recorded .58 inches of rain in May and has 39.67 inches for 2023.

Up the Yachats River, Jim Adler had .61 inches – compared with his 5.30-inch average – and now has 48.20 inches for the year. Williams had .48 inches in May and 60.52 for the year.

Of course, it was the record high temperature on Mother’s Day that shocked most everyone.

“We had that awful day on May 14 when it hit 100 degrees here,” Altson said. “It easily my all-time high temperature for any date and quite possibly the first time ever reaching the century mark in this part of Yachats.”

But even with that very hot day, Altson said, the area continues the trend of a generally cool year. Since 2014, the Yachats area has averaged 25 days with a high of 60 or above by the end of May, according to Altson’s records.

“So far this year we have only reached 60 degrees seven times,” he said. “In 2016 we had exceeded 60 degrees 41 times by June 1.”