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PRECIPITATION
excerpt
from: Technical Report for Water Quality and Fish and Wildlife Habitat,
McKenzie Watershed Council, February 1996, pp. 6
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In
the McKenzie Watershed "precipitation increases with rising elevation due to
the condensation of moisture in the Pacific air currents which must rise to pass
areas of higher elevation. Whereas average annual precipitation ranges from 40
to 50 inches in the Coburg-Springfield area, the average increases to 110 inches
in the headwaters of Blue River (State Water Resources Board, 1961). Typically,
about half of the annual precipitation in the watershed occurs in the winter,
with lesser amounts during the spring and fall, and very little in the summer
(Oregon Climate Service, 1994)" |
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"Most precipitation is in the form of rain in the lower elevations. Snow is
generally short-lived in areas below 4,000 feet, with accumulations disappearing
several times during the winter season, depending on temperature conditions.
Above 4,000 feet, snow tends to accumulate, reaching a maximum depth during the
month of May, with accumulations in excess of 90 inches occurring in the central
Cascades (State Water Resources Board, 1961)."
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