March was quite wet and cold in the Yachats area, weather watchers say

March was wet and cold. April is looking no better – but that’s a story for next month.

Five of six YachatsNews weather watchers recorded higher than average amounts of rain in March – ranging from nearly 17 inches up the Yachats River valley to more than 9 inches in downtown Yachats.

“Easily the wettest March I’ve measured, with measurable rain on 25 days during the month,” said Adam Altson, who recorded 9.89 inches of rain at his house along Ocean View Drive. Altson has a total of 26.03 inches of rain for the first three months of the year, which is just below the three-month average for Yachats the past 10 years.

Nearby at the city of Yachats’ wastewater treatment plant, city crews measured 9.50 inches of rain in March, for a three-month total of 24.57 inches.

Donald Tucker, who lives two miles north of Yachats, had 10.19 inches of rain in March, his highest amount for the month since 2017. Tucker said three days were especially wet — 1.64 inches of rain March 5, 1.62 inches on March 13, and 1.77 inches on March 31. His three-month total sits at 26.19 inches.

It’s a different story the farther you go into the Coast Range foothills.

Jim Adler, who lives at the three mile mark, had 12.3 inches in March – an inch above average – and 36.05 inches for the year.

Bob Williams, who lives eight miles upriver, recorded a whopping 16.66 inches in March and has 46.78 inches for the year. Ten miles up the valley, Jean-Marc Rolland had 13.40 inches in March and 41.15 inches so far for 2023.

Other cold weather observations:

• From Feb. 20 to March 10, Yachats never reached 50 degrees. “That 19-day stretch is easily the longest I’ve ever recorded,” Altson said. The previous high was 15 days;
• Yachats only exceeded 55 degrees once — 57.2 on March 18, Altson said. Other than February 2021 when there were no days above 55 degrees, that’s the fewest days in any month since 2013, he said.
• “Our average high, average low, and average temperature were all the lowest I’ve ever recorded for March — and in fact, despite the much longer days, they were all colder than every other month this winter,” Altson said.
• “We had an astounding 21 days with a low temperature below 40 degrees,” Altson said. “February 2019 was the only other month with that many.”