A record downpour in Medford Friday — the second-last day of the water year — was one for the books, but precipitation over the past 12 months in the city remained below average, with drought continuing in Jackson County.

Friday’s downpour notwithstanding, Medford had a pretty dry year, at 20% below normal precipitation.

On Friday, a record 1.25 inches of rain dumped in the city late in the day, smashing the previous record for the date of 0.79 inches that fell in 2013, according to the National Weather Service.

But rainfall was highly localized, with no rain reported in Ashland and a scant 0.05 inches reported in Grants Pass.

“The rain really concentrated in Medford,” said meteorologist Alexis Hermansen of the National Weather Service. “Those storms were brewing right over Medford.”

The localized rain demonstrated how precipitation can vary widely across the region, as it did over the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, known as the water year to hydrologists. For the year, precipitation was below normal in the region’s valleys and varied in the mountains, depending on location:

• Medford’s precipitation was 14.74 inches, 20% below the normal 18.43 inches.

• Ashland’s precipitation was 17.41 inches, 10.9% below the normal 19.53 inches.

• Grants Pass’ precipitation was 29.06 inches, 7.2% below the normal of 31.31 inches.

• Howard Prairie’s precipitation was 34.04 inches, 8.8% above the normal 31.28 inches.

• Mount Shasta’s precipitation was 43.4 inches, 1.9% above the normal of 42.6 inches.

• Crater Lake’s precipitation was 64.08 inches, 4% below the normal of 66.76 inches.

According to the Oregon Climate Service, precipitation in Jackson County has been below average in four of the past five water years, ending in 2022.

Meanwhile, roughly the northern two-thirds of Jackson County remains in moderate drought while its southern third remains abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Similar conditions were present in June, when Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in the county, at the request of the Board of Commissioners.

It was the fourth declaration in as many years in the county. Since 2000, other declarations were made in 2001, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2015.

Last spring, streams benefitted from an above-average snowpack in the Rogue River Basin, but stream flows quickly receded, according to the governor’s declaration.

Despite continuing drought, crop growers in the south county area this year had enough irrigation water available, according to Wanda Derry, manager of the Talent Irrigation District.

“We had a good season,” Derry said. “What we were told by the grape growers and the orchards and even the hay growers, they had sufficient supplies for the season. Overall feedback from people was it was nice to have the water.”

The district’s irrigation-delivery system was shut down Sept. 15 this year, compared with shutdowns on July 15 the previous two years due to lack of water.

“Not good” is how Derry described those two previous years.

The district draws on Howard Prairie, Hyatt and Emigrant lakes, which currently sit at 34%, 40% and 13% full, respectively. Emigrant Lake normally would be 23% full, but levels in the other two lakes look relatively good, according to Derry.

Combined, the three lakes are 28% full, compared with 5% at the same time last year and 3% the year before that. Higher water levels at this time of year provide carryover for the next irrigation season.

“Actually, they (water levels) are very good for the higher lakes,” Derry said.

According to the Oregon Water Resources Department, the western United States is in the worst megadrought on record, with conditions drier across the West than in any other 22-year period in the past 1,000 years. Drought conditions impact water supplies, streamflow, agriculture productivity, wildfire danger and ecosystem health.

The latest seasonal outlook from the federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought persisting for the rest of the year in northern Jackson County.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correctly state how much Medford’s precipitation was below normal.