News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Plenty of snow on the Sisters so far.
Much to the joy of skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers - and irrigators - Sisters Country is enjoying a real winter.
Not only did the area experience a white Christmas, the snow lingered on the ground under temperatures that did not crack the freezing mark through the last week of December and into January.
Snow measurement stations in the Cascades are showing snowpack in the mountains above Sisters at or above average. The snow water content in the Deschutes Basin is at 123 percent of the 30-year median.
That's a critical measurement in a region that really began to see the effects of drought last year.
Surprisingly, despite the late-month cold snap, temperatures at Sisters averaged slightly warmer than normal during the month of December. That's according to preliminary data received by NOAA's National Weather Service in Pendleton,
Temperatures and snowfall totals vary across Sisters Country, with the west end of the area usually a few degrees colder than town, and receiving more snowfall.
The average temperature in Sisters was 31.1 degrees, which was 1.0 degree above normal. High temperatures averaged 40.5 degrees, which was 1.6 degrees above normal. The highest was 61 degrees on December 9. Low temperatures averaged 21.7 degrees, which was 0.5 degrees above normal. The lowest was -5 degrees, on December 1.
There were 26 days with the low temperature below 32 degrees. There were five days when the high temperature stayed below 32 degrees.
Precipitation totaled 4.07 inches during December, which was 2.10 inches above normal. Measurable precipitation - at least .01 inch - was received on 12 days with the heaviest, 0.90 inches reported on December 17.
Snowfall totaled 15 inches with at least one inch of snow reported on four days. The heaviest snowfall was seven inches reported on December 17. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was seven inches on December 17.
The highest wind gust was 63 mph, which occurred on December 8.
Temperatures this week are expected to climb back into the mid to upper 30s during the day, with lows dropping to the low 20s. There is a slight chance of snow through the week.
The outlook for January from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center calls for near- to above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation. Normal highs for Sisters during January are 40.6 degrees and normal lows are 22.8 degrees. The 30-year normal precipitation is 1.89 inches.
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.
Reader Comments(0)