
Will this coming winter bring an El Nino (warmer and dry conditions) as we had last winter or will we see a La Nina’ (the opposite) return with cold, wet weather this winter and spring?
By ROB DeHARPPORT/For The Herald — Rain! Fire-drenching, smoke-clearing and oh-so-welcome rain arrived this weekend.
Like many readers throughout the Highway 58 corridor, I woke to the sweet sound of rain on my metal rooftop. Finally, some relief to the long, dangerous drought we’ve all witnessed.

The drought has left this glacial erratic boulder high and dry at Tandy Bay on Crescent Lake
It’s been a very hot and dry summer throughout the western United States. Reservoirs have seen record low water levels, wells have gone dry and fires have raged in historically devastating numbers and consumed incredible amounts of forests and rangelands. Communities like Greenville, Calif., have been incinerated. Others were threatened or suffered a similar serious loss of property, livestock and lives — a season of dubious records and sorrow for many homeowners, ranchers and farmers.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 3,181,743 acres have burned this season in 11 states. Fourteen large fires in California, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Oklahoma are reporting continued active fire behavior as of Saturday, Sept. 17.

This is what that Tandy Bay boulder looked like at Crescent Lake before the drought became as severe as it is today.
Personally, I have had friends and family threatened by fire evacuations and or evacuation notices in Oakridge and Paisley, as well as in the California communities of Weaverville and Trinity Lake. My friends and relatives suffered through the stress of evacuating or being prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, some of their friends and neighbors were not as lucky.
The West has weathered droughts and fires throughout history. Just as we will recover and rebuild after this drought and fire season.
However, questions remain about the future. Will this become the new normal as it seems to have become a new ” Fifth Season” added to our traditional spring, summer, fall and winter? Will fire, smoke season be a permanent additional season in the west?
Will we learn from these recent years? I certainly hope we can. Can we learn to manage water storage in our reservoirs much better or will we continue to manage water for single species while ignoring farmers and ranchers who supply our food? Can we manage our forests better to prevent these habitat-destroying fires or will we continue to allow endless litigation to hamstring our Forest Service?

This is how Davis Lake used to look with the snow-capped Three Sisters looming beyond.
Time will tell. We all have our own ideas and opinions. The future is full of unknowns. Will this coming winter bring an El Nino (warmer and dry conditions) as we had last winter or will we see a La Nina’ (the opposite) return with cold, wet weather this winter and spring?
A La Nina’ watch was issued by the Climate Prediction Center with a cool phase potentially emerging in this month of September through November, and lasting through the winter. The watch said the probability of La Nina’ during November through January was 66 percent.
Regardless of the accuracy, we can certainly hope it’s correct as we need a wet winter and a great snowpack. Keep our fingers crossed!
Let’s hope that we can learn from recent history for whatever the future weather will bring.
For now, I’m sure we are all thankful for this weekend’s rainfall. It’s so good to see, hear and smell it.
Rejoice and enjoy this rain!
Rob DeHarpport, former mayor of Westfir, moved to the Crescent Lake community in 2015 shortly after retiring from a 31-year career in the trucking industry.

Davis Lake during the drought, with the Three Sisters bare of snow.