HISTORIC WIND AFFECTS LANDSCAPES

Historic is the word of the year so we used it in the headline today. Historic or not, the wind overnight an ongoing today is incredibly abnormal and impactful to all of Oregon. the fire danger in the cascades is extreme and the wind damage and debris blowing around in the Metro area is incredibly abnormal for a September. already this morning we have mobilized to many sites where there are blown down trees and branches. The storm is not over and we will likely continue to see storm related damage and debris blowing around throughout the day. It is likely that cleanup of the storm will last throughout the weekend into next as this November type storm unfolds.
Along with the wind related damage, this unseasonably warm dry September will lead to above average irrigation need continuing. As you see from the graph below, our typical irrigation need steadily declines from early August through about October 1st. However, every year is different. As you can see from the chart below also, last year we stopped irrigating in early September as the rain started early, but in 2012 we irrigated into October Due to unseasonably warm dry early fall. Who knows what this year will bring but so far it looks more like 2012 with a long fall irrigation season.