Peninsula: Rain, snow dampen drought worries

PORT ANGELES — The snowpack is deep at Hurricane Ridge and the ski area there is bustling with activity.

If normal amounts of rain and snow continue through the winter, the North Olympic Peninsula and the rest of the state should be safe from any drought problems, according to state and federal officials.

“It’s looking good; almost all the snowpacks are more than 100 percent of normal, which is excellent,” said Kurt Hart, public information officer for the state Department of Ecology.

“We still need to get through these critical winter months, but things are looking good,” Hart said.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, total precipitation at Mount Crag in the Olympic Basin totals 45 inches, or 172 percent of average.

Snowpack totals in the back counry of the Olympics are unavailable.

But Hurricane Ridge got two more inches of snow during the weekend, leaving the base was a 65 inches on Sunday.

The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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