News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Downtown Sisters got sloppy as snow turned to rain last weekend.
Sisters went from winter wonderland to soggy, sloppy mess in two days of rain.
A warming trend that pushed temperatures in Sisters to nearly 50 degrees with lows in the high 30s turned snow to rain that melted off some 24 inches of snow in short order.
The Sisters Ranger District reported .53 inches of precipitation over the weekend and rain continued to fall, turning to snow on Monday morning.
Chris Sabo, Trails Supervisor for the Deschutes National Forest, said that conditions were as sloppy out in the woods below 5,000 feet as they were in town.
"If you are a duck, you're loving this weather," Sabo said. "If you're a skier, a snowmobiler, a snowrider, well, it's not so good. Upper Three Creeks Snow Park was slush (on Sunday)."
Sabo said that there is "a pretty good snow pack though, in terms of depth. The forecast is improving; at least (it is) getting colder. It's going to set up a good base and some new snow on top."
Sabo reminded those looking for snow play that Corbett Sno Park remains closed due to lack of use, marginal snow, an unsafe egress onto Highway 20 and lack of funding for upkeep. He recommends people use Ray Benson Sno Park further up the highway.
Snow was falling at the rate of one to two inches per hour at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Monday, after gaining a foot Sunday night. More snow is expected through the week. Snow measured more than 62 inches and is starting to consolidate.
All runs are open and the Autobahn Tubing Area is open through the holidays, returning to regular weekend operation after January 4.
In town, providers of snow removal services were enjoying a small break in what had been non-stop action. Dave Vitelle of Bear Mountain Fire reported that he had crews working constantly trying to keep up with repeated snowfall. He welcomed a melt off.
"We were running out of room (to dispose of cleared snow) in some of the parking lots," he said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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