Above average rainfall makes for sixth wettest May in Union County

Isabella Crowley, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

Jun. 21—LA GRANDE — A rainy spring makes for the sixth wettest May on record in Union County over the past 128 years, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

The National Weather Service, who partners with cooperative observers like the Oregon Department of Forestry to measure rain levels, reported 5.44 inches of rainfall in La Grande during May, which was 2.28 inches wetter than normal.

The rainfall was consistent across Eastern Oregon with similar numbers reported by the National Weather Service for Union and Cove in May. There was 4.05 and 5.44 inches of rainfall in Union and Cove, respectively.

The National Weather Service also partners with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network — a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers — to measure precipitation in local communities without cooperative observers. A volunteer recorded 2.52 inches of rain in Elgin for May.

The spring rains have not been record breaking though. The wettest recorded May in Union County was in 1998, when a total of 6.1 inches of rain fell, according to USAFacts, a nonprofit and nonpartisan civic initiative that aims to make government data easy to access and understand.

Across the region, rainfall was closer to normal the previous month — 2.06 inches in La Grande, 1.6 inches in Union and 2.12 inches in Cove in April, according to the National Weather Service.

It remains to be seen how June will compare to normal, but during the first 14 days of the month there was 2.18 inches of rain in La Grande. In the same time frame, Union experienced 2.6 inches and Cove 4.41 inches.

Despite the heavy rains across Union County, the National Integrated Drought Information System indicates that southern parts of the county are abnormally dry or in moderate drought as of June 14.

Currently the fire danger ratings in Union County are low, according to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center, and predictive fire risk levels remain normal throughout the summer for Northeastern Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

However, many of the surrounding areas have above normal potential for significant wildland fires. In the seasonal outlook, the potential for significant fires across the Pacific Northwest is normal in June, with an elevated risk forecast for Central Oregon. Moving into July, Southeastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington join the elevated risk category. Then in August, parts of Idaho bordering Northeastern Oregon also move from normal to elevated risk.

The summer is also the burn season in Union County — a period from June 15 to Sept. 30 when controlled burnings are permitted. The Smoke Management Office oversees the agricultural burning of grass seed and cereal crop fields. Burning is done to sanitize fields from fungus diseases and weed contaminants. Weather conditions are evaluated daily and burns are only permitted on days with favorable conditions to reduce the likelihood of smoke inundating the Grande Ronde Valley.