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Geography
Oregon is a state divided
by mountains. The Cascade Mountains stretch across the entire north/south
length of Oregon, producing areas with two entirely different climates.
West of the Cascades, a mild, moist marine climate prevails, while east
of the Cascades, Oregon's high desert country can be scorching hot or
bitterly cold. In between the Cascades and the coast, the Coast
Range defines the lush growing land of the Willamette Valley from the
marine coast area.
Oregon physical dimensions:
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Oregon is the 10th largest state with 96,002 square
miles.
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The state's water
area covers 1,129 square mile.
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Oregon is located
half way between the equator and the north pole.
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The coastline is about
360 miles in length and it's all public land.
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The Columbia River
covers approximately two-thirds of the northern border of the state.
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The Snake River covers
about one-half of the eastern border of the state.
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The Pacific Ocean
is the state's western border.
Climate
So how much does it rain
in Oregon? On the coastal mountain range the average rainfall
in certain areas is 120 plus inches. In the far eastern section
of the state, 6-8 inches of annual rainfall is normal. The Oregon
Department of Forestry
Rainfall map is a good presentation of the Oregon rainfall.
Four Factors Affecting
Temperatures The year-around pattern of temperature across Oregon
reflects the influence of four major factors:
The seasonal cycle
of solar radiation.
The Cascade Range,
which forms a barrier that generally confines mild Pacific air masses
west of the crest and cold continental polar air masses to the east.
The moderating influence
of the Pacific Ocean.
Elevation in general,
with upland areas being colder than lowland areas.
 The
Weather Café™ by Rufus provides uniquely informative long-range
forecasts for specific patrons in the Pacific Northwest. Rufus'
forecasts have information of value, but even more, they show a sense
of humor and are fun to read. It is a free service for patrons
from British Columbia to northern California.
Oregon
Climate Service is an outstanding site for Oregonians interested
in weather. Maintained on the Oregon State University campus,
they have everything from satellite images to historical records of
Oregon weather. They have built many links to other weather sites.
Record
Rainfall In Gold Beach (Curry County on the coast), 15.32
inches fell between January 16, 1953 and January 19, 1953. In
the floods of February 1996, 27.55 inches fell February 5-9 on Laurel
Mountain in the Coast Range west of Salem. Laurel Mountain holds
the record of the most rainfall in any year in Oregon: 204.34 inches
in 1996. Oregon single-month rainfall record remains with the
Glenora weather station (the station closed in 1918) in the mountains
near Tillamook. In November 1909, 57 inches fell. These
facts were obtained from The Oregon Weather Book by George Taylor
and Raymond R. Hatton,
Oregon State University Press, ISBN 0-87071-467-8. The wettest day
in Oregon history occurred on November 6, 2006 when 14.30 inches
of rain fell at Lees Camp near the Wilson River.
Bright
Spots in the Northwest Rain Shadows Locals call the rain shadow
on the Olympic Peninsula at Sequim, Washington, the "Blue Hole" because
there are often blue skies there surrounded by clouds, fog, and rain.
Sequim, located along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, averages 18 inches
of rain each year. Just to the southwest in the Olympic Mountains,
rainfall averages 240 inches per year (20 feet).
According
to the book, "Weather Extremes of the West," the rain shadow created
by the Cascade mountains that blankets the eastern two-third of Oregon
results in a similar phenomenon. The most sudden change in precipitation
occurs from Santiam Pass on U.S. 20 to the town of Sisters. In
20 miles, precipitation drops from 90 inches a year to just 14 inches.
The elevation change - Santiam Pass is at 4,817 feet and Sister is at
3,186 feet - means that for each foot in elevation, precipitation drops
.05 inches.
 Snowpack
The mountain snowpack is just as important to Oregon's economic health
as the winter rains in the valley. The melting snow feeds rivers
and lakes in the summer and fall. This provides the water for
agriculture crops and power. Snowpack is what keeps the reservoirs
full - the source of water for residents. Snowpack is also important
to anglers and conservationists. Ever winter, a snow hydrologist
straps on snowshoes and packs a 12 1/2 foot aluminum tube up to the
mountains in Oregon. They measures snowpack which is a combination
of snow depth and moisture content. What they hope to find is
water content of the snowpack above 100 percent of normal. For
example during the winter drought of 2000-2001, the moisture content
measured at 79 percent of normal. In the winter of 2008, the water
content was over 150 percent of normal in the mountains.
High Cascades
Contains an Immense Reservoir of Water
 Scientists
from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University have in recent
years realized that the high Cascades in Oregon and far Northern California
contain an immense subterranean reservoir about as large as the biggest
man-made reservoirs in the country. The stockpile stores close
to seven years' worth of Oregon rain and snow and is likely to become
increasingly precious, even priceless, as population and climate add
pressure to water supplies.
The reservoir hides within young volcanic rock
− less than one million years old
− in the highest reaches of the Cascades.
The rock is full of cracks and fissures it forms a vast geological sponge.
Heavy rain and snow falling on the rock percolate into the sponge, like
a river filling a reservoir. The high amount of rain in Oregon and the
unique geology permits the retention of much of the water.
According to researchers at the
Pacific Northwest
Research Station, it's one of the biggest groundwater systems known
in a mountainous region anywhere on the planet.
Some water leaks steadily from the hidden reservoir,
gushing from springs into rivers such as the McKenzie, Deschutes and
Clackamas. Many of the rivers flow into the Willamette, keeping the
river through Portland full of water in the dry months of the summer,
when mountain snow that feeds many other Western rivers is long gone
and the rivers are just trickles.
That all-year reliability of water from the underground
store puts Oregon in a much stronger position than the rest of the West
as global warming dries out nearby states, some already suffering through
record drought. At the same time, it may also make the Northwest a sought-after
source of future water for the rest of the West. Southwest states have
already floated the far-out idea of piping in water from the Columbia
River. Businesses such as technology companies that require reliable
water supplies for manufacturing may see the consistency of Oregon's
enormous reservoir as a strategic advantage. Some experts think that
the value of water coming out of this system absolutely exceeds any
other economic value from national forestlands.
When Grant and his team began studying the water system,
they found its water spilling from large springs so little-known they
don't appear on maps. One spring pours out a full one percent of the
summer volume of the Willamette River −
some 43 million gallons a day, enough to supply almost half of Portland's
year-round water needs.
Huge Springs Discovered
Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist at the U.S. Forest
Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station is leading the research.
When Grant and his team began studying the water system, they found
its water spilling from large springs so little-known they don't appear
on maps. One spring pours out a full one (1) percent of the summer volume
of the Willamette River some 43 million gallons a day, enough
to supply almost half of Portland's year-round water needs. Grant isn't
highlighting its location. "You can be sure the bottled water people
would like to know all about it," he said.
He and his colleagues are also studying the way global
warming may influence the underground water supply. Many climate models
show that as temperatures rise, more winter snow will fall as rain instead
and run off the landscape more quickly. Less snow will remain to melt
and feed rivers in summer, when water is needed most.
The underground Cascade reservoir changes the picture
in the rivers its springs supply. Water entering the reservoir as rain
or melting snow pushes water out of the springs, so as less water flows
in from melting snow in the summer, less will exit the springs, Grant
says.
However, because so much water remains underground,
plenty is left to flow out during the summer. That means rivers fed
by the reservoir's springs − though reduced
somewhat by climate change − will keep flowing
far more reliably than rivers fed by snowmelt alone.
Resources
Source: The secret's
out: Tons of water in Oregon's Cascades by Michael Milstein,
The Oregonian October 19, 2008.
Plants, Trees, and Flowers of Oregon
The forests of Oregon are
strongly identified with the state. Sixty percent of Oregon's
forests are publicly owned. West of the Cascades, Douglas fir
is the primary conifer species, with Sitka spruce and western hemlock
found mainly on the coast. East of the Cascades, the main species
is Ponderosa pine. Other eastern Oregon trees are larch, lodgepole
pine and western juniper. Broadleaf trees include big leaf maple,
Oregon white oak and madrone. Pungent smelling myrtlewood grows in southern
Oregon.
The wildflowers of Oregon
are a special treat for the visitor. Driving, biking or especially
hiking anywhere in Oregon can lead you by a myriad of wildflowers, both
large and small. The vivid blue of delphiniums, the quirky petals
of an inside-out flower, a bright splash of Indian paintbrush or the
breathtaking view of a field of glacier lilies - all these and much
more can be seen in Oregon.
Animals and Birds
 The
wildlife of Oregon is diverse. Oregon has herds of Roosevelt
elk and black-tailed deer in the western part of the state, and
Rocky Mountain elk and mule deer east of the Cascades. In the
high desert country of southeastern Oregon, there is a refuge for pronghorn
antelope. Smaller animals in Oregon include skunks, raccoons,
chipmunks, squirrels and opossums. Mountain lions, black bears and bobcats
are also found in Oregon's forests.
As part of the Pacific
Flyway, Oregon has many species of birds. The Klamath basin hosts
the largest number of year-around bald eagles in the lower 48 states,
and is known as Oregon's premier bird watching area. Some of the
species that can be seen are golden eagle red-tailed and rough-legged
hawks, Canada geese, many duck species, herons, gulls, terns and grebes.
Wildlife preserves such as Malheur and Findley are stopover points for
Canada and snow geese, whistling swans, and the rare Sandhill Crane.
Oregon Maps
We're a bit crazed by maps,
and Oregon's physical features (i.e., mountains, high desert, ocean,
river, lakes, and valleys) are ideally suited to be displayed on a map.
So if you're interested, here are some sites to visit for Oregon maps.
Please be patient as many of the maps require a substantial amount of
time to display due to their complex graphical features.
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Oregon Blue Book Displays all the major rivers and mountain
ranges. You'll get a good sense of the Oregon peaks in the
Cascade Range.
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Grant County They have relief maps, satellite maps, Oregon
Trail maps, and a colorful map 1895 map of Grant County.
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Microsoft Terraserver The Encarta Learning Center
has maps of the world.
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National Geographic National Geographic calls the
site their Map Machine. Create a "dynamic" map of Oregon to
see the state's physical features.
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Oregon Department of Transportation ODOT provides excellent
traveling maps.
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Oregon Historical Society The OHS Maps Collection contains
over 30,000 maps, focusing on Western Exploration, the Oregon Territory,
and the Pacific Northwest Region. Some of them are available
online. To search, select the "
Horizon Public
Access Catalog" on the Collections page.
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United State Geological Survey View the top 17 peaks in
the Cascade Range from Washington to Northern California.
Detailed explanations of the peak's features include volcanic, earthquakes,
glaciers, mudflows, etc. Brought to you by the USGS Cascades
Volcano Observatory.
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