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Old 01-24-2011, 10:17 AM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,265,984 times
Reputation: 857

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SmithW View Post
The truth is that Portland has way better weather the Bend. Please don't listen to the hype about Bend's so-called great sunny, dry Colorado weather. Total Lies!! I was in Bend for 8 months and just couldn't stand the place. While I was in Bend it was cloudy and overcast, with a freezing inversion. I drove over the mountains to Portland and it was blue skies, although crisp and cold. Actually, Bend has more fog and cloudy days than Portland does in the Winter time. The only difference is that Bend snows more and doesn't get the constant drizzle that Portland gets. Also, if you think the brownness of the area has anything to do with lots of sunshine, think again! Actually, the reason Bend is so dry and nothing can grow there is that the soil of the area is highly volcanic and lacking a good amount humus and structure that would promote plant growth. The year I was in Bend, it must have received over 30 inches of rain, yet the ground was as dry, brown and ugly as the peak of summer. Bend, IMO is a cold, deserted wasteland overrun by rich California yuppies. IF you want dry, sunny winters, then please go to Colorado, not Bend!

Even though Bend has a very glorious mountain backdrop in the Summer, the majority of the year the mountains are hidden by the clouds. Even worse, they close Pilot Butte for the majority of the year, so you only get to go drive up there to enjoy the nice view when the mountains lose their snow. OF course, you can always hike up there, but its not that fun on a freezing cold day to do so.

Another thing about Bend is it can snow in the Spring. I moved back to Portland from Bend in early April and it was dumping snow and hail. It was refreshing coming back into Portland with it being 50F with a nice pleasant rain and seeing how green and lush everything was. In Bend you get this slushy nasty snow that hardens, melts and refreezes. Of course, the ground remains brown and dead regardless of all the precipitation!
Forget about Spring flowers in Bend!

By the way, Bend is cloudy for about 8 months of the year.. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's the sunbelt of Oregon! Oregon's so-called sunbelt probably starts somewhere near Pendleton or Boise (oops, not in Oregon!). Please don't deceive yourself! If it is cloudy in Portland, it is cloudy in Bend. Check the weather reports. Even worse, Bend is prone to frequent winter inversions and will be fogged in many times when Portland is sunny.

Please Don't Laugh, many will make fun of this guy, but I really think he really is dead-on in regards to his Bend weather reports. Actually, I agree with a lot of his blog:
Bend Sux

I have lived in Oregon for appx 20 years, so I think I am a good source on Oregon weather, considering I have lived all over the state.
Your personal vendetta against Bend along with this bendsux.com blog helps no one. It's like the bipartisan debate. You are so far polarized, many will hear you, yet few will obtain real information. One might say, pardon the pun, you are too clouded and jaded to be given weight. Just look at you one sided analysis. This type of one-sided/bashing analysis should be cause for concern to ANYONE looking for real information regardless of medium.

I believe I have characterized Bend's weather fairly and ACCURATELY giving sources and personal accounts of ACTUAL on the ground weather updates. I have not painted a false sense of sunniness and have in fact refuted the fantasy, but find it very important to correct those who spew miss information.


AGAIN:


1) Weather is about persecutive. It depends where you have lived in the past. If you are from the sun belt, Colorado or the like, you may find Bend to be dreary. If you are from much else of the country, you most likely will find it to be a sunnier place than you are used to.

2) There are NOT 300 days of sunshine in Bend. The actual number is somewhere, depending on the year, between 240-260. Just check out January's weather. It has been pretty darn sunny, if you ask me. Source: 7-Day Forecast for Latitude 44.06°N and Longitude 121.3°W (Elev. 3598 ft) (This is the most accurate weather data for Bend which isn't saying much. If anyone has a better weather source, I'm looking!)

3) Bend has LONG winters. They start early (October) and end late (Late May early June). During these winters you have two months of pretty consistent storms in December and January leaving Mt. Bachelor with a favorable base heading into what some people in the area call a "spring". This said, the mountains hold much of the moisture and, at times, the clouds (which is a crazy sight, I must say). Regularly, if we get an inch or two or even three in town, you know its a great day on the mountain because they've just gotten a foot to two feet.

Last edited by kapetrich; 01-24-2011 at 10:39 AM..
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Old 01-24-2011, 10:37 AM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,265,984 times
Reputation: 857
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal View Post
I think they left off a bunch of qualifiers to be able to say that - it's certainly sunnier to the south and southeast of Bend, but there is no city Bend's size in those directions.

I just go by my own weather station and the data off my solar system - how many days did we make adequate hot water or electricity? In January, so far, 14 out of 24 days (and the forecast for next week is sunny all the way out). In December we didn't do quite so well, we only had 7 out of 31 days, whereas last year we had 15 out of 31 days. For hot water, it does not take a totally clear sky, though.

As other people have said, the biggest disadvantage to this climate is the potential for late spring frosts and hard freezes - it makes gardening challenging (although not impossible). Last year we had a hard freeze in April that ended any chance of getting cherries or peaches on our trees.
Awesome weather data. This, is exactly on. December was a pretty dreary month (but awesome on the mountain!) while January has turned out to be pretty dry and sunny....

I've almost been completely discouraged in starting my own garden due to the frost issue. I've thought about building a small, 2x5 ft, makeshift greenhouse covering......seems a lot of people do that around here.
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Old 01-24-2011, 12:19 PM
 
Location: Sometimes Portland, other times LA
600 posts, read 1,464,387 times
Reputation: 247
I lived in Bend for a while and my parents are native Central Oregon residents. Bend's weather is great in my opinion. Bend gets a lot of sunny days and is fairly dry. It has its share of gray skies and some rain but overall is much more tolerable than Portland's weather. Bend is considered "high desert" so its pretty dry. It gets super cold (sometimes single digits) in the winter but is a lot better than rain in my book
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Old 01-25-2011, 05:35 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,265,984 times
Reputation: 857
On the ground weather update, 01/25/11:

Portland: Overcast. 45-55 degrees. Source: My friend just landed there for a 3 hour layover before she heads to San Francisco.

Bend: Sunny. 45-50 degrees. Source: Me, sitting outside of Backporch.


Both dry.
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Old 01-25-2011, 05:39 PM
 
Location: Oregon
129 posts, read 581,726 times
Reputation: 196
The sun is shining here in Portland.. not overcast.. Bogus weather reports.. Sunny in Bend, means the sun came out for 5 seconds.
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Old 01-25-2011, 05:46 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,265,984 times
Reputation: 857
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SmithW View Post
The sun is shining here in Portland.. not overcast.. Bogus weather reports.. Sunny in Bend, means the sun came out for 5 seconds.
Lol- Nice! Do you also have a personal vendetta against Bend? This is getting TOO good!

All I can tell you is that it has been sunny out ALL DAY, without fail here in Bend. SOURCE: http://www.wunderground.com/history/...lyHistory.html. This source states it has been clear ALL day, without fail.

I LITERALLY just talked to my friend who landed in Portland 1hr ago and she said it was overcast. It could have just become overcast in the late afternoon, but to say this is bogus, is disingenuous. SOURCE: http://www.wunderground.com/history/...lyHistory.html. This source states it has been overcast pretty much all day.


I have presented two sources. One subjective, one concrete. Where are you SOURCES?

Last edited by kapetrich; 01-25-2011 at 05:57 PM..
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Old 01-25-2011, 05:47 PM
 
Location: Gresham, OR
254 posts, read 651,530 times
Reputation: 152
I see the sun too, just checked..
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Old 01-25-2011, 10:10 PM
 
Location: Oregon
129 posts, read 581,726 times
Reputation: 196
Kapetrich.. My sources are 8 months of living in that cold, icy , dreary and desolate town that never turns green, never flowers, just is brown, dismal and ugly year round. At least you could get 8 months of sun for all the ugly scenery, not 8 months of clouds and crazy weather!
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Old 01-26-2011, 12:38 AM
 
Location: Bend, OR
1,337 posts, read 3,265,984 times
Reputation: 857
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SmithW View Post
Kapetrich.. My sources are 8 months of living in that cold, icy , dreary and desolate town that never turns green, never flowers, just is brown, dismal and ugly year round. At least you could get 8 months of sun for all the ugly scenery, not 8 months of clouds and crazy weather!
Thanks for proving my point, once again.

I'll let the readers decide who is *attempting* honesty and who is *attempting* smear in this entire thread.

Glad you enjoy Portland, though. It is a great city, no doubt. I've loved my visits.
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Old 01-26-2011, 01:46 AM
 
Location: Oregon
129 posts, read 581,726 times
Reputation: 196
The grass is greener on the other side.. Literally

I always have admired the beauty of Portland, both the surrounding areas, as well as the impressive gardens within the city.. After living west of the Cascades for 20 years, including the Oregon Coast, I can just not lose my greenery, flowers and big trees.. Some people prefer high deserts and that is fine. However, if I am going to live in a high desert area, I would choose Colorado Springs.
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