Bend snow lovers rejoicing

  • 2016-01-09
Those Bend residents who love winter sports may find that they already have a lot to smile about this winter, as will area farmers and others who rely there being an adequate level of groundwater.

According to Julie Koeberle, who works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Portland as a snow hydrologist, the entire state has seen a snowfall that is well above normal. In fact, readings from the automated snow sensors near Bend show it is 147% of what would usually be expected for this time of year.

This large amount of snow can translate into there being plenty of water available in the spring and summer for irrigators, such as local ranches and farmers.

Area ski hill operators are reporting that they have excellent snowpacks on their slopes, which is very different from last year, when some were only able to open a few weekends all season due to a lack of snow. Flyers can be sent out to let skiers know about these excellent conditions, and inviting them to come out and experience them for themselves.

Federal forecasters still feel that the coming months could be warmer than usual, and this could mean that there is less snow than in an average year. Koeberle noted that the early heavy snowfalls are good news, as they can help to compensate should there be a lack of precipitation later in the winter.
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