Yachats-area rainfall in May continues very dry trend for 2026

There’s no question that this year is turning into a dry one, and Yachats-area rainfall measurements show that continued trend in May that could end up in another Lincoln County drought declaration.

Through May, rainfall totals are running 30 percent behind average for most of the Lincoln Chronicle’s weather watchers.

Don Tucker, who been recording weather data at his home two miles north of Yachats, measured 1.7 inches of rain in May – just have of his 19-year average for the month. His year-to-date rain total is 27.80 inches, 10 inches below his average.

Jim Adler, who lives three miles up the Yachats River valley, recorded 2.13 inches of rain in May – less than half of his 19-year average for the month. His rainfall total for the first five months of 2026 is 33.88 inches.

Bob Williams, who lives eight miles up the Yachats River valley, recorded 1.92 inches of rain in May for a five-month total of 41.20 inches. In seven years of record-keeping, Williams average rainfall for May is 5.42 inches.

In Yachats, the May rainfall numbers were even lower.

At the city’s wastewater treatment plant staff recorded 1.13 inches of rain in May for a year-to-date total of 20.26 inches.

Julie Bailey, who lives on Horizon Hill overlooking the city, recorded 1.88 inches of rain in May for a 2026 total of 28.01 inches – nine inches below her five-month total last year.

Adam Altson, whose house overlooks the ocean, recorded 1.42 inches of rain in May and has 22.05 inches for the year. Altson’s May total is less than half his average of 3.24 inches for the month, his year-to-date total is his lowest through the end of May, and the total is more than 11 inches below his average five-month total in nine years of recordkeeping.

One more observation from Adler:

“The water flow of the Yachats River on June 1 can give a rough estimate of the relative saturation of the watershed at one point in time. The average flow on June 1 since monitoring began 13 years ago is 68.92 cubic feet per second. On Monday, June 1, the mean flow was 38 CFS. The highest flow level on June 1 was 2013 when it measured 152 CFS, and the lowest was 2021 at 28 CFS. The June 1, 2013 measurement was the lowest annual rainfall in my records but the watershed remained saturated from the previous year which was my second highest annual rainfall.