Central Oregon Slammed By Heavy, Wet Snow

Imagine you spent Valentine’s Day 2011 in Bend. Highs hit 60 degrees and there was no snow anywhere, except a melting pile or two to the side of the road.

Then you wake up on the 15th of February and it’s been snowing an inch an hour overnight!

Now that’s a shocker.

This picture that Dave Stalker sent in from Bend shows the sudden accumulation of snow. But it’s the kind of snow that fell that’s causing extra grief.

Heavy,  Wet Snow Causes Trouble

• Actual snow amounts ranged from 6-12″ of snow from the storm in the Bend/Redmond corridor.
• This snow fell at much warmer temperatures (low-upper 30s) than in a typical winter storm, so it was much heavier & wetter than most.
• Wet snow holds togetherand sticks to everything, like trees and powerlines. Both of those things came crashing down and thousands are spending tonight in the dark.

The most incredible snow total? From a lady named Katie who sends pictures from Sisters, Oregon sometimes. She dropped me this email:

“Because of the 22inches that we received overnight here, school was canceled today. It snowed on and off all day here.  As of this writing tonight it was beginning to snow again.”

So much for an early spring.