Central coast rainfall was dramatically lower than average in January with not a lot on the horizon

By the Lincoln Chronicle

The weather on the central Oregon coast is nice – even super nice – but with a very dry January following slightly-below-average rainfall in December and 2025, a dry winter and spring could spell issues for an area not used to drought or wild fires.

The first week of February is continuing January’s very dry trend, when Lincoln County weather watchers recorded rain totals that were 60 percent or less of normal for the month.

Statewide, Oregon’s mountains have never had this little snow dating according to records dating back to 1981. In the Cascade Mountains specifically, the snowpack is only slightly better than 2015, the worst on record.

Statewide, snowpack is 30 percent of normal – although some relief is forecast in the Cascades and eastern Oregon beginning this weekend.

The coast – as we all know is different than ski resorts in the Cascade Range — but still experienced a very dry January.

Don Tucker, who lives two miles north of Yachats, measured 5.59 inches of rain in January – 60 percent of his 19-year average of 9.27 inches.

“Only two lower total rainfalls were 5.32 inches in 2014 and 4.95 inches in 2015,” Tucker said.

Jim Adler, who lives three miles up the Yachats River valley, measured 7.39 inches of rain in January – 57 percent of his 16-year average of 12.87 inches for January.

Bob Williams, who lives eight miles up the Yachats River valley, measured 8.89 inches of rain in January – 44 percent of his seven-year average for the month.

In the city of Yachats, staff at the wastewater treatment plant measured 3.51 inches of rain in January – the second lowest amount in the last 16 years. The January average at the plant over 10 years is just above 8 inches of rain.

Julie Bailey, who lives at 200 feet elevation on Horizon Hill in Yachats,  measured 5.14 inches of rain in January – and 18 days with no precipitation.

“In January 2025 I had 17 days in a row with no precipitation …” Bailey said.

Adan Altson of Yachats recorded 4.35 inches of rain in January, his lowest January rainfall in nine years of measurements. His previous low was 4.87 inches in 2022.

The Lincoln Chronicle has three new weather watchers joining us this month – Herb Fredricksen of Newport, and Keith Hutchinson and Roland Couture, both of Lincoln City.

Fredricksen, who began tracking rainfall in 2022, measured 6.4 inches of rain in January compared with 7.11 in January 2025 and 17.76 inches in January 2024.

Keith Hutchinson, who lives on the cliff above Lincoln City, recorded 6.1 inches of rain in January, with 18 straight rain free days.

Couture measured 8.49 inches of rain in January – more than his January 2025 total of 5.76 inches but dramatically less than his 18.71 inches in January 2024.

Weather notes

Tucker: Two higher or equal high temperatures were 67 degrees in 2018 and 71 degrees in 2024. Had 16 days with measureable rain; the only lower number of rain days was 15 in 2015. Conclusion: January is giving us less rain and temperatures are generally rising.

Adler: “I’ve had only three drier Januarys in the past 16 years and they were tightly packed from 2013 to 2015 – and 2013 was also my lowest total year in my records.

Altson: For my location (overlooking the ocean in Yachats) most Januarys seem to end up warmer than expected. The high was 67.3 degrees on Jan. 16. That is just slightly above my average high for January and I’ve had four other years since 2014 with higher highs. What was most noteworthy to me was the period from Jan. 10 through Jan. 27, when we had a tiny bit of drizzle a couple of times, but I only measured .01 inches of rainfall during that stretch. That is easily my longest January stretch with effectively no rain.”

Bailey: My high temperature was 65.3 degrees with four other days in the 60s.

Couture: The 30-year “normal” for January in Lincoln City according to OSU PRISM is 10.25 inches. There were 12 days in the month with no precipitation whatsoever, 16 days with under an inch, three days with more than an inch, and no days more than 2 inches.

Want to see other rainfall information in Lincoln County, go here

Editor’s note: As Lincoln Chronicle expands its news coverage, we’re also looking for more people who record weather data, especially in the Newport and Lincoln City areas and farther inland including Tidewater, Toledo and Siletz. If you might be one of those people, please drop us an email at [email protected]