Spring in Winter

Isaak O

January 30, 2012 - 5:00 PM

For those of you reading from afar, Oregon is experiencing an extremely unusual winter. We have had dry, and sometimes sunny weeks, punctuated by a string of rainy days, instead of the inverse which is usually the case around this time of year. Typically, Eugene has very pronounced seasons. Although the weather can be fickle and changes more often than I've ever experienced it anywhere else in the course of a day, things seem to be really of this winter.

Typically in October or November, it starts raining one day and does not stop until June sometimes. This wetness is the defining feature of the Oregon and Cascadian climate that makes living in this region so special, both for the biological diversity and the agriculture that it allows for. I worry that if we continue without any rain, we may be worrying very seriously about droughts and crop failures in the summertime. Until then, I'm praying for a rainy spring.