El Niño

A sign advertises the Anthony Lakes Ski Area in Baker County, Ore., on Sept. 5, 2026.

Rural Oregon ski areas plan out futures after tough year

Antonio Sierra

Faced with low snowpack, Oregon's nonprofit ski areas Anthony Lakes and Mt. Ashland are funding facility upgrades and summer programs to ensure long-term survival.

Reflected in a pool of melting ice, dirt and grass show through the low snowpack at Mt. Hood Meadows on the resort’s second-to-last weekend in Mt. Hood, Ore., on April 4, 2026.

Environment

Pacific Northwest faces another bad snow year thanks to ‘super El Niño’

April Ehrlich

A potential "super El Niño" could bring a warmer, wetter winter to the Pacific Northwest, increasing landslide risks and threatening salmon runs and coastal fisheries.

A drought in 2015 nearly emptied Detroit Lake, a reservoir between Bend and Salem. State climatologist Larry O'Neill draws similarities between this year and 2015 after Oregon's warm and dry start to 2026.

Environment

Oregon’s drought is worsening, and winter might not offer the reprieve that some expect

Zac Ziegler

With forecasts calling for another warm winter, concern about a second year of low snowpack arises.

A view of glacier-clad peaks in Washington’s North Cascades. Snow in Idaho, western Montana, the Washington Cascades and Snake River Basin melted two to five weeks earlier than normal in 2026, and in parts of the Oregon Cascades, mountain snowpack melted two months earlier than normal, according to Washington’s state climatologist.

Environment

Northwest potentially in for ‘one of the strongest El Niños we’ve had,’ climatologists say

Alex Baumhardt

The potential super El Niño event this fall and winter could bring much needed rains to the region, experts said

Daffodils soak up the sun along Southeast 46th Avenue in Portland on Monday.

Environment

Portland’s warm week could break 30-year record, but it won’t last long

April Ehrlich

Despite the warm spell, Oregonians west of the Cascades should keep their rain jackets and sweaters handy as cooler weather moves in from the coast starting Wednesday.

Environment

Area Ski Resorts Anticipate Heavy Snow Over Weekend

Anni Katz

With Mount Bachelor open for the season, Hoodoo and Willamette Pass aren't far behind, especially with this weekend's forecast of lots and lots of…

Environment

Sizzling Weather On Its Way; El Nino Developing

Karen Richards

Oregon has enjoyed cooler days over the past week, thanks to low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska. By Wednesday, extremely hot weather is expected to…