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Today was predicted to rain ALL day by all weather outlets.
Actuality: it was sunny ALL day with strange rain pockets breaking off from the storm that seemed to surround Bend, literally. It was a sight to have seen.
This said, the weather outlets WERE correct regarding this Tuesdays weather. It was cloudy. That's 2/3 off....and I'm not saying they were sort of off. Not like they said it would be cloudy and it was sunny at times: I mean they said it would be socked in with clouds and rain and it was the EXACT opposite.
Last edited by kapetrich; 12-08-2010 at 09:17 PM..
^yeah, not sure where in Bend you live, BUT I have had snow on the ground since Halloween pretty much and it has been very cloudy and cold all season so far....PLUS WINTER ONLY started a week ago barely!
^yeah, not sure where in Bend you live, BUT I have had snow on the ground since Halloween pretty much and it has been very cloudy and cold all season so far....PLUS WINTER ONLY started a week ago barely!
Thanks for your input...can I ask how long you have lived in Bend? Seems to me, it is cloudy quite a bit??? And cold from Oct. thru???
Thanks for your input...can I ask how long you have lived in Bend? Seems to me, it is cloudy quite a bit??? And cold from Oct. thru???
I moved to Bend in 1999. I love it here but like I said it has a Chamber of Commerce or Conventions Bureau that wants to make everyone believe that we have this and that and a lot of it is not true. You can find the factual information out for yourself these days with weather tracking and history themed web-sites. In any case, it suits me for the type of lifestyle that I like.
For example, I can give you the facts so far this season. Our first snowfall came on October the 23rd in town, with already a nice base in the mountains. Last year it was October the 6th. Every year its sometime in October. Anyways, the average High for this year in November was: 45 and the average low was: 25, and for December the average high has been 39 and the average low has been 20. That includes a few days already where the lows have been below 0, -10 so far as the coldest this year. This is for Bend, NOT REDMOND, where the weather station is for the area, Bend tends to be anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Redmond.
I dont really know how to explain the cloud cover, people seem to think that that waking up at 7am and seeing the sun then at noon its cloudy and snowing and by 6pm there is a foot of snow and extremely cold, they count that as a sunny day I guess. Its more like we have sun-breaks. I believe that people that have moved here from the Valley as in Portland or Seattle, some place like that, they will think its sunny. People from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Colorado, anywhere in the southwest, southeast, pretty much anywhere in the country, they will not think its that sunny I assume. I moved here from Texas and we received more rain in Texas, actually more than Portland where I lived and still had more sun than here. Its just very different here from winter to summer. Think very long cool to very cold winters with clouds and snow to a very short, only 65 days between hard freezes summer. Its strange but the cold is not as cold as say Minnesota or North Dakota, BUT they dont get cold till the end of November and by March they are thawing out and warming up, we can still see snow up till June and it starts in October making the season seem very long. The elevation mixed with the mountains and the way that Bend is situated make it very cool year round. Sometimes in Fall and Spring, Bend will have the coldest temps in the country.
I know that all seemed very fact based but I get tired of the info that I read along with a lot of other people that have moved here and have found out otherwise. People are starting to see it for what it really is. Thus the growth has slowed and the economy has really hit it hard. As sad as this all is for some, its great in the fact that Bend will end up being Bend and I love that! Its not meant to be a big place. Its in the wilderness and to some extent it will stay that way.
I am just not a fan of the people that move to a small ski town that is 4,000 feet in elevation and complain about the lack of stores and eating establishments and want this and build this then later complain about the traffic and everything associated with the growth, or the weather or act surprised at how long the winters are and how cold it is. As if they were expecting Palm Springs or something like that. It never will be like that bc its natural environment is impossible of creating a place like that.
Hope all of that helps, its definitely a beautiful place with some amazing people that love the outdoors be it cold or warm, environmentalists, travelers, hippies, yuppies, yippies...lol. I love it all, just wish Bend would be Bend not another place trying to another place.
The Bend Chamber of Commerce actually doesn't say 300 days of sun or more:
Sunshine:
Bend has the highest average number of sunny days in the state. Clear days average 158 days per year with an additional 105 days that are mostly sunny. Many of the remaining days provide substantial sunshine.
I dont really know how to explain the cloud cover, people seem to think that that waking up at 7am and seeing the sun then at noon its cloudy and snowing and by 6pm there is a foot of snow and extremely cold, they count that as a sunny day I guess. Its more like we have sun-breaks.
I totally disagree that we just get sun-breaks throughout our days. I believe we DO get less sun than 300 days and far less than the sunbelt, but to relegate our sun to 'sun-breaks' throughout the day is disingenuous, to me.
Also, we hardly ever, if EVER, get a foot of snow. The most we get is 1-4 inches of snow in a storm. Every decade or two we get a dump of a foot or more. I'm not quite sure what you are talking about with the above example.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cascade4567
I believe that people that have moved here from the Valley as in Portland or Seattle, some place like that, they will think its sunny. People from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Colorado, anywhere in the southwest, southeast, pretty much anywhere in the country, they will not think its that sunny I assume. I moved here from Texas and we received more rain in Texas, actually more than Portland where I lived and still had more sun than here. Its just very different here from winter to summer. Think very long cool to very cold winters with clouds and snow to a very short, only 65 days between hard freezes summer. Its strange but the cold is not as cold as say Minnesota or North Dakota, BUT they dont get cold till the end of November and by March they are thawing out and warming up, we can still see snow up till June and it starts in October making the season seem very long. The elevation mixed with the mountains and the way that Bend is situated make it very cool year round. Sometimes in Fall and Spring, Bend will have the coldest temps in the country.
THIS I can jump on board with. I said it in my earlier post. Whether a place is sunny or not has a WHOLE lot to do with where you previously hailed from. I came from the north east. To me, Bend gets many more sunny and clear days. Conversely, a person from the sunbelt or Colorado and the like may find Bend to be a bit more cloudy than they are used to. It comes down to perspective. It is true, we get hit with the PNW weather patterns and there can be days upon days of gloom in a row.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cascade4567
I know that all seemed very fact based but I get tired of the info that I read along with a lot of other people that have moved here and have found out otherwise. People are starting to see it for what it really is. Thus the growth has slowed and the economy has really hit it hard. As sad as this all is for some, its great in the fact that Bend will end up being Bend and I love that! Its not meant to be a big place. Its in the wilderness and to some extent it will stay that way.
The reason the economy took a dive has almost nothing to do with people finally realizing Bend is not as sunny as it is fantasized to be. This is without fact.
The reason Bend's economy has taken a nose dive is much more complex/multi-dimensional and is very much tied to the housing bubble and loss of equity as a whole. Interestingly, Bend is still a growth area, even in these hard-hit times.
I can agree that we get too much press regarding our 'amazing' weather. This isn't Colorado or the Sunbelt. That.is.a.fact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cascade4567
I am just not a fan of the people that move to a small ski town that is 4,000 feet in elevation and complain about the lack of stores and eating establishments and want this and build this then later complain about the traffic and everything associated with the growth, or the weather or act surprised at how long the winters are and how cold it is. As if they were expecting Palm Springs or something like that. It never will be like that bc its natural environment is impossible of creating a place like that.
Completely agree. Bend has a VERY long winter. I never can understand people who complain about its length waiting for summer. It is predominantly a winter town, do not move here if it is not your thing. Also, yes, it isn't Palm Springs, thank God. Let's keep it semi-small and tucked away in this beautiful forrest of ours.
Last edited by kapetrich; 01-24-2011 at 01:02 AM..
^yeah, not sure where in Bend you live, BUT I have had snow on the ground since Halloween pretty much and it has been very cloudy and cold all season so far....PLUS WINTER ONLY started a week ago barely!
We certainly DO live in different Bend's, don't we? Or maybe you exaggerate a little bit....just maybe?
After that it was pretty dry and ALL melted away until just before Thanksgiving when the snow came consistently for a good 3-4 weeks in spits of 1-6 inches only to melt away fairly quickly......During this dry spell, the temperatures were DEFINITELY winter-like, don't get me wrong. But that 3-5 inch first storm melted away pretty darn fast.
I remember VIVIDLY (I am a HUGE skier) that first snow storm around 10/25 when the mountain got about 3 feet. Everyone in town was SUPER excited hoping Mt. Bachelor would open REAL early. Mt. Bachelor did hint that they were going to open early if the snow persisted, but the dryness, until a week before Thanksgiving didn't allow it resulting in the regular opening date.
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: http://bendsux.blogspot.com/
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.
The Bend Chamber of Commerce actually doesn't say 300 days of sun or more:
Sunshine:
Bend has the highest average number of sunny days in the state. Clear days average 158 days per year with an additional 105 days that are mostly sunny. Many of the remaining days provide substantial sunshine.
I agree with this statistic - maybe not the 'highest average number of sunny days in the state' bit, but the rest.
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.
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