Zach Urness

Statesman Journal





The rain simply refuses to stay away this winter.

Salem set a record for rainfall this February, with 13.29 inches of precipitation drenching the capital city.

The rainfall total topped the previous record of 13.01 inches, set in 1996, and was way above the normal total of 4.56 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

The recorded totals go back to 1892.

“The jet stream directed storms from the Pacific right at us all month,” said Gerald Macke, a metrological technician with the NWS. “It was a series of more tropical storms that were very wet, but that also mixed with some colder air from the east that gave us the snowfall.”

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It was the second month this season that Salem set a record. October’s 11.25 inches was also the most rain during that month in recorded history.

“It’s very unusual to set two records in one season,” Macke said.

Despite the February deluge, Salem wasn’t impacted by any flooding events, city spokesman Mike Gotterba said.

The biggest issue that arose from the heavy rain, Gotterba said, was twice needing to release diluted raw sewage into the Willamette River.

To keep from overwhelming the city’s sewer system — and pumping sewage into city streets — the city released 57 million gallons into local waterways Feb. 6 and 1.18 million gallons Feb. 16.

The city had to close a few streets in South Salem and closed off Minto-Brown Island Park at one point, but none of that was out of the ordinary, Gotterba said.

“Other than a few things, it was pretty much work as normal,” Gotterba said. “We had extra people out monitoring the streams but there were no particular issues.”

Those hoping for some relief from the rain will likely be disappointed, Macke said.

"Right now, we're projecting wetter and cooler than normal conditions for the next 8 to 14 days," he said. "Big surprise, huh?"

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for eight years. He is the author of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon” and can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

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Top 10 wettest Februaries in Salem

1. As of midnight Feb. 28: 13.29; 2017

2. 13.01; 1996

3. 12.31; 1949

4. 11.66; 1940

5. 11.40; 1999

6. 10.82, 1961

7. 10.57, 1983

8. 10.36, 1987

9. 9.47, 1904

10. 9.05, 1927

Month by month since October:

Oct: 11.25 (normal 3.30)

Nov: 6.90 (normal 6.50)

Dec: 5.15 (normal 6.86)

Jan: 5.40 (normal 5.96)

Feb: 13.29 (normal 4.56)

Source: National Weather Service