Rogue River Valley (OR) Facing Summer Temperature Increase Of Up To 15F By 2080

[hatrack]

If global warming continues unabated, summer temperatures in the Rogue River Valley could rise up to 15 degrees by 2080, making the weather in the southern Oregon valley similar to Sacramento's, Oregon researchers said in a report released today. The changes would likely boost wildfires, the researchers said, and spell trouble for fish, forests, pears, pinot noir and people, who would see snowpack and water supplies dwindle.

The report, drafted by the University of Oregon's Climate Leadership Initiative and the Ashland-based National Center for Conservation Science & Policy, is the first of four that will try to boil down climate change predictions to a regional scale in southern Oregon.

EDIT

Average annual temperatures will increase by 1 to 3 degrees by 2040 and 4 to 8 degrees by 2080. Summer temperatures could increase dramatically, rising 7 degrees to 15 degrees by 2080. Snow accumulation could decline by 25 to 75 percent by 2040, and up to 94 percent by 2080, reducing summer streamflows, water quality and water supply. Big winter storms and rainfall could increase, boosting flooding.

A longer summer with higher temperatures will likely increase wildfires and could create lethal stream conditions for native fish such as salmon and steelhead, similar to conditions on the lower Klamath River during the 2002 fish kill.

EDIT

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/climate_change_could_hit_rogue.html

[kestrel91316]

1. Guess I'll have to rethink that as a retirement site option...........