Tell me I’m mistaken about this being the funkiest winter weather I’ve ever seen in my 32 years living here in poverty with a view. First there was that freaky early snow in October followed by the Polar Express a month later, a prolonged case of the inversion blues, rain with Bend living seeming like living in Eugene, and then fog that Londoners would be proud of.
Knowing I was wrong about the funkiness of said weather I asked a longtime local what he thought of the winter so far? “The weirdest one I’ve ever experienced, “he offered, “it’s totally counter to what our winters used to be like.”
For me, “used to be like” went like this: Late November heavy dumps of snow in the mountains; December snow in town and more snow up high; January at least ten days of very cold (below zero) temps early in the month with more snow in town later in the month; February mild down here plenty of good snow dumps in the mountains; March/April always iffy vacillating between cool and fairly warm.
As to snowpack, it was always, back in the pre “gold rush” days, well over 100 inches of snow by now and heading its way quickly to 200. Now people wax ecstatic if the snowpack gets over 55 inches. That’s 55 inches as in, “totally awesome skiing conditions.” Sure.
Holy Bob Shaw, it just may be getting warmer and wetter around here just as those crazed global warming proponents have advocated. Warmer and wetter that is, with occasional dramatic (read floods, extreme cold, cyclones, whatever) weather events.
Can it be that Bend will soon have a winter climate similar to that of Palm Springs? Hey that would make the tourism folks who used to like to call Bend the “Palm Springs of the North“ look mighty prescient.
Is it possible that people will be going to Brookings and the southern Oregon coast for sun and surf in December instead of to Maui in the future?
Unlike the writer John Burroughs (Naked Lunch) who said, “I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather, “ I’m just curious about what its plans are.
So mark me down as being more of a mind with Ben Franklin who offered: “some are weatherwise, some are otherwise.”
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2010.
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Woodfellow,
As you are now both the resident arbiter of words and now weather…I propose for your consideration that the freezing fog we recently enjoyed during this season’s spate of weather for the weird [as in ‘Keep Oregon Weird’ of bumper sticker fame] shall hereafter be called ‘frog’…whaddya think?
Gerry
William Borroughs, Woody.
Baloney. I have lived here 10 years and the weather is weird every year. One year it was below zero windchill while my kids trick or treated. I have played golf in 60 degree weather in January. AND it has snowed during pull pedal paddle three times.
The MYTH that Bend has fantastic weather is just that; a MYTH.
Hmmm… Born and raised here and I’ve never heard it called “Pull” Pedal Paddle. Wonder if he’s called it that for ten years?
Don’t forget the snow days on the 4th of july. I have been here for 24 years and the recent years of winter are really no different then they were 20 years ago. It almost always snows by halloween. Then melts, then we see snow around Tnanksgiving. It gets hot it gets cold, it rains, it’s sunny. We get snow all the way into middle May alot of years. This is the High Desert, we live in a strange weather zone because of our proximity to the mountains and the way the jetstream flows over us.
You’re right Bob, strange weather we’re having. Look at the headlines in the past months news. It’s all because of Global Warming. 🙂 I’m sorry I should say climate change.
* Climate change pushes poor women to prostitution.
* Eating kangaroos could help fight against global warming: scientist.
* UN says eat less meat to curb global warming.
* EU to ban inefficient fridges and TVs in global warming battle.
* UN Chief: Global warming caused Darfur genocide.
* Schwarzenegger set to ban 'energy-guzzling' big screen TVs.
* Global warming is as dangerous as war.
* Ted Turner: Global warming could lead to cannibalism.
* Enhanced 'greenhouse effect' causes global warming.
* Climate changes causes birds to lay eggs early.
* 'Contraception cheapest way to combat climate change'.
* Limit families to two children 'to combat climate change'.
* Global warming pushes polar bears to cannibalism.
* Gore calls Myanmar cyclone a 'consequence' of global warming.
* John Kerry: We can't ignore the security threat from climate change.
* Global warming to fuel rise in asthma, malaria.
* Now the Pentagon tells Bush climate change will destroy us.
* Fat people cause global warming.
* Scientists: Humans 'very likely' cause global warming.
* Global warming could increase terrorism, official says.
* ABC website tells kids when they should die.
* Climate change causes health concerns.
* Global warming causes 300,000 deaths a year, says Kofi Annan thinktank.
* Climate change causes 315,000 deaths a year: report.
* Climate change 'causes conflict'.
* Global warming causes extinction.
* Global warming skeptics are like Holocaust deniers.
* Al Gore: Climate change more dire than terrorism.
* Bill Clinton: Global warming bigger threat than terrorism
So I made a typo. Trying to do this on my phone…The fact remains that the weather is goofy EVERY year and if anyone stays here any amount of time, they will see that. The weather in Bend is bizarre. My horrible typing, or not.
“The weather in Bend is bizarre.”
Couldn’t agree more. We have an amazing variety of weather here in Bend, almost all of it bad.
But as a 25-year resident I have to agree with Woody’s observation that winters “back in the old days” were colder and snowier, but also sunnier. Storms would move in, dump snow, and then clear out. I don’t remember having gray, gloomy skies and/or fog for weeks at a time.
But maybe that’s false nostalgia.
Hey if you want to complain about the weather, you’re in the wrong town. Bend’s weather is very quirky, and there is only one thing everyone will likely agree on: The only thing you can count on with the weather in Bend is, that you cannot count on the weather! I’ve had countless July/August boating trips rained out, and Dec/Jan snowboarding trips canceled because of ice and slush. If you love warm weather, you’re in the wrong town. If you love cold weather, you’re in the wrong town. If you love constant change, you’re in the right town!
Comedian Daniel Tosh has a good line from one of his shows, referring to the east coast frigid winters, and himself living in Orange County: “People always say ‘oh I love living here because of the seasons’. Yeah, well I live where we skip the crappy ones!”
so true… so true..