By YachatsNews staff
Rainfall amounts on the central Oregon coast in January were as much as one-third of the amount recorded 12 months earlier and there were 11-20 days of no measurable precipitation, according to YachatsNews’ weather watchers.
While there was less-than-average rainfall last month, the big differences from January 2024 was that a year ago the rainfall was a record amount. That’s not likely to happen two years in a row.
In Yachats, weather watcher Adam Altson recorded 5.97 inches of rain in January, much less than his eight-year average of 10.59 inches and his January 2024 total of 10.59 inches. Despite 19 days with no measurable rain, this January was only Altson’s third lowest rain amount for the month in the last eight years.
Staff at the Yachats wastewater treatment plant recorded 5.41 inches of rain in January compared with the 16.25 inches measured a year ago.
Julie Bailey, who lives at the 200 foot level of Horizon Hill in Yachats, recorded 7.63 inches of rain in January compared with her 17.25 inches a year ago. Bailey had no rain for 20 days in January, including 17 days in a row.
Don Tucker, a longtime weather watcher who lives two miles north of Yachats, recorded 7.87 inches of rain in January compared with 20.33 inches a year earlier. His average January rainfall over 18 years is 9.53 inches. Tucker had 11 days without measurable rain.
It was, of course, a bit wetter up the Yachats River valley.
Jim Adler, who lives three miles east of Yachats, recorded 9.54 inches of rain in January compared with 25.21 inches last year. Adler’s 16-year average for January is 13.08 inches.
Bob Williams, who lives eight miles up the valley, had 10.72 inches of rain in January compared with 33.30 inches last year. His six-year average for January is 21.64 inches.
Weather tidbits:
- Altson: We had a long stretch of beautiful sunny and clear days with cool starts in the mornings, but warming up nicely each day thanks to all the sunshine. My high temperature was 63.9 degrees, a little lower than usual, and the low temperature was 30.8 degrees. Neither were terribly noteworthy, nor was the average temperature of 46.47, which was just slightly below average.
- Bailey: Had 20 days without measurable precipitation with 17 dry days in a row. High temperature was 59.9 degrees on Jan. 9 and the lowest high was 46.7 degrees on Jan. 24. Her lowest temperature was 30.8 degrees on Jan. 25 and the highest low was 50 degrees on Jan. 5.
- Adler: I’m anticipating some pea-drowning weather. That’s the couple of nice warm weeks we’ve frequently gotten in February which everybody mistakes for Spring and go planting their peas only to watch them drown when the rain returns.