Surprise snowstorm taxes Central Oregonians

Central Oregon was somewhat taken by surprise Monday morning as a winter storm moved in. From Sisters to Bend to Prineville, the snow piled up.

In Sisters, the readerboard told drivers to carry chains or traction tires headed over Santiam Pass. It was all shovels on deck to clear the sidewalks from the nearly six inches of snow.

By midday Monday — the tax filing deadline, by the way — the snow also started to pile up in downtown Bend, catching many people off-guard.

“I’m in my dress shoes and unprepared,” said Chuck Arnold, president of the Downtown Bend Business Association. “We are just going to plow through it and make it nice for people to come downtown.”

Arnold says this is what is great about Central Oregon’s weather — you never know what you are going to get.

“Everybody has been saying, ‘Your snow budget has probably saved this year — not a lot of snow.’ It’s not over yet,” said Arnold.

For others, it’s time for Old Man Winter to leave.

“Kind of upsetting,” one woman said. “I would rather the snow stay in the mountains than in town.”

No matter where you are from, the beauty of Central Oregon can’t be beat — even if winter decides to stick around just a little bit longer.

“Last time I was here, there was sunny days and snow as well,” another woman said. “It’s like a winter wonderland all over again.”