Water Report

Current Water Conditions in Ashland

October 2025

October is the first month of the water year in southern Oregon. We’re off to a good start!

Precipitation Report

This October, Ashland received 2.53 inches of precipitation while the norm is 1.41 inches. As noted in our report for the 2024-2025 Water Year, over the last 25 years, nearly two-thirds of Octobers experienced precipitation under the norm. Over the entire length of the record kept since 1892, the mean October precipitation is only 1.56 inches. This is an auspicious start to the water year.

Once again, and the same as the fall of 2024, there is a long-range forecast which includes the possibility of the appearance of a La Niña. This is one of three phases of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), marked by periodic changes in the water temperature and wind direction in the Pacific Ocean. La Niña years are characterized by cooler than average sea surface temperatures while El Niño years are the opposite. (For more information about this normal weather pattern disrupter, read What are El Niño and La Niña? or What is the El Niño?) This forecast may bring us another winter with ample precipitation and snowpack, leading to another summer of successful water storage in local reservoirs.

Reservoir Readout

As of the end of October, Reeder Reservoir is 69% full while Emigrant and Hyatt Lakes were 20% and 72% full, respectively.

For up-to-date information, visit the US Bureau of Reclamation’s website. Then click on a teacup and then the link for Water Year Graph.

The State of Drought

As of the end of October, most of Jackson County is not experiencing drought conditions.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

Snowpack Report

The National Resource Conservation Service monitors snowpack in stream basins through its SNOTEL (Snow Telemetry) program. The SNOTEL network is composed of over 900 data sites located in remote, high-elevation mountain watersheds. They monitor snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and other climatic conditions. The data collected at SNOTEL sites are transmitted to a central database, called the Water and Climate Information System, where they are used to make water supply forecasts.

Currently the snowpack in much of Oregon is over 150% of the median at this time of year.

Source: Snow and Water Interactive Map | Natural Resources Conservation Service

Water Year Report

The water year is defined by the U.S. Geological Survey as the 12-month period beginning October 1, for any given year through September 30, of the following year.