September was another dry summer month in Yachats, but get ready for rain

Rainfall in the Yachats area was substantially below average in September. But if 17 years of weather watching mean anything, get ready for the start of the central Oregon coast’s rainy season this month.

October, November and December usually mean the start of the coast’s rainy weather – an average of 27 inches of rain falling during those months, according to 17 years of records kept by Donald Tucker, who lives two miles north of Yachats.

May through September are usually the coast’s driest months – and this year proved no exception.

Tucker measured 1.77 inches of rain in September, compared with a 17-year average of 2.67 inches for the month. Because of a very wet winter and spring, Tucker has measured 59.08 inches so far this year compared with a nine-month average of 44.29 inches over 17 years.

Adam Altson, who lives along Ocean View Drive in Yachats, recorded 1.81 inches of rain in September, giving him a total of 48.13 inches for the first nine months of the year.  The bulk of September’s rain fell on three days – Sept. 11, Sept. 17, and Sept. 25, Altson said.

At the Yachats wastewater treatment plant, rainfall for September was 1.85 inches with a year-to-date total of 49.33 inches.

Julie Bailey, who lives at the 220-foot elevation level on Horizon Hill in Yachats, recorded 1.76 inches of rain in September and has 55.72 inches of rain so far this year.

Three miles up the Yachats River valley, Jim Adler recorded 2.15 inches of rain in September, well below his 16-year average for the month of 3.07 inches. Adler has recorded 72.71 inches of year so far in 2024.

Eight miles up the Yachats River valley, Bob Williams measured 1.57 inches of rain in September for a nine-month total of 85.35 inches.

Other weather notes:

• Bailey recorded six days in September where the temperature was greater than 70 degrees, including a high of 75 on Sept. 5. Her lowest temperature was 48.3 degrees on Sept. 29;
• But near the ocean, Altson’s high temperature for the month of 67 degrees on Sept. 3 — his lowest high temperature for September in his seven years of record-keeping.  The peak wind gust Altson measured was 25 mph on Sept. 3 – tied with September 2016 for the lowest peak gust.
• In the Yachats River valley, Williams had his first light frost the mornings of Sept. 29-30. The morning low on Sept. 30 was 36 degrees.