News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Sisters country was beset with damage, destruction and hardships in the weather-year of 1996.
The year was marked by extremes -- some substantial snowfall, torrential rains which resulted in localized flooding, and intense summer heat. There were frequent rapid and dramatic weather changes throughout 1996.
The year started out as if winter had forgotten Central Oregon. As of mid-January, no snow had fallen in Sisters since December 8, 1995. Hoodoo Ski Bowl was forced to closed due to a shrinking snowpack. During the first half of January maximum temperatures in Sisters averaged 7 degrees F. above normal and climbed to 57 degrees F. in Sisters and over 60 degrees F. at other local stations.
However, Old Man Winter was in the wings. After mid-January temperatures plummeted to zero degrees Fahrenheit and rains turned to snow. By the end of January Sisters had received 24 inches of snow; Black Butte Ranch measured 55 inches. On January 31, Sisters maximum temperature was only 8 degrees F., the lowest maximum on record.
February was exceptional for its roller-coaster weather, with mild temperatures and tropical rains one week and Arctic-like conditions the next. During February, in Sisters, maximum temperatures ranged from a chilly 15 degrees F. to a balmy 64 degrees F.
Heavy rains falling on a substantial snowpack caused widespread flooding west of the Cascades and erosion problems in the Sisters' Country.
A washout of a section of Highway 20 near Suttle Lake closed this major east-west highway from February 7-13. The road closure hurt many businesses in Sisters and forced another closure at Hoodoo.
Spring was also characterized by widely fluctuating and out-of-season temperatures. March included a minimum of -1 degrees F. (March 1), early April saw maximums of 78 degrees F., and 79 degrees F. in Sisters and a warmer-yet 82 degrees F. at Black Butte Ranch (April 7). On May 4, Sisters minimum was a chilly 19 degrees F.
While March was relatively dry, April and May ranked among the wettest on record.
Although June temperatures were generally cooler than normal, the summer of 1996 was one of the warmest on record in Sisters. July and August were scorchers. Sisters' maximum temperatures in both months averaged in the upper 80s.
During July and August the mercury rose to or exceeded 90 degrees F. on 31 dates, (normal is 21 dates). There were four readings that topped the century mark. Even so, minimum temperatures of 29 degrees F. were recorded in Sisters on three dates in July. Furthermore, on July 28, Sisters' maximum temperature was only 62 degrees F. and the higher peaks of the Cascades actually had a dusting of snow in late July.
The sizzling summer of 1996 continued throughout most of August although on August 5 Sisters' maximum temperature was only 67 degrees F. Between August 7-15, maximum temperatures in Sisters averaged a scorching 95 degrees F.
The hot summer of 1996 was marked by several destructive forest fires in Oregon including a stubborn one in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area.
Fall weather in the Sisters' Country was on the cool, wet side. Even so, temperatures varied greatly. For example, between September 15-23, a time when snow fell in the Cascades, Sisters' maximum temperatures averaged only 61 degrees F. On September 28, Sisters reported its highest maximum of the month, a hot 91 degrees F.
Delightful Indian summer weather was experienced in Sisters in early October with 84 degrees F. on October 7 and 8. Just over a week later a trace of snow fell in Sisters and a foot of snow created traffic problems on the Santiam Pass October 18-19.
November was relatively mild but exceptionally wet with 4.02 inches of precipitation -- the second wettest on record. Snowfalls were followed by mild, rainy weather. This pattern was repeated throughout December.
Overall for 1996, maximum temperatures in Sisters (61.7 degrees F.) averaged slightly below (0.2 degrees F.) the long-term average while minimum temperatures averaged nearly 3 degrees F. above the long-term average.
Temperatures in Sisters ranged from an extreme maximum of 103 degrees F. (July 26) to an extreme minimum of -1 degrees F. (January 31 and March 1). There were 74 days with maximums of 80 degrees F. or higher; 118 days with 70 degrees F. or higher and 182 days when the mercury reached 60 degrees F. or above. On the other hand, the maximum temperatures did not reach 40 degrees F. on 31 dates.
As usual, nighttime temperatures really cool off in Sisters. Last year, minimum temperatures were below 30 degrees F. on 140 dates; below 40 degrees F. on 264 dates and 49 degrees F. or below on 344 dates. There was one night when the minimum temperature did not dip below 60 degrees F. -- a rarity in Sisters.
Sisters' precipitation for 1996 totaled a whopping 23.18 inches -- over nine inches above normal -- and the wettest year since weather records were first taken at the Sisters' Ranger District Station in 1961. During a wet period early in this century, precipitation in Sisters totaled 23.65 inches in 1909 and 23.55 inches in 1912.
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