By Rod Hill on 2013-03-26

For weeks, I have been talking about what has turned into an amazing dry streak since January first.  Following a wet October - December, Portland has only seen 54 percent of normal rainfall this calendar year.  With a 2013 rain total to date of 6.21 inches, this is the 3rd driest January - March three month period since PDX records began in 1940.  Up to .15 inches of rain looks possible through the end of the month, but parts of the metro may stay dry. 

As of noon yesterday, March 25th, Vancouver, Hillsboro and Salem report the driest precipitation totals on record for the first quarter of the year.  Here are the totals, along with the date of first record:

Vancouver:  6.10 inches - driest on record, dating back to 1890

Hillsboro:  5.08 inches - driest on record, dating back to 1929

Salem:  5.19 inches - driest on record, dating back to 1892

The above numbers will be the all-time record for first quarter precipitation, if no more rain falls through March 31st.  Forecast outlooks continue to project below normal rainfall through mid-April.