May gets off to a wet start across Central Oregon after a warm, dry April
Bend, Prineville are well below average precipitation for the year
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Much of Central Oregon awakened to steady rainfall as the calendar turned to May on Saturday – in fact, more of it fell in Bend in just a few hours than in all of a warm, dry April, the National Weather Service reported.
By 8:30 a.m. Saturday, weather spotters around Central Oregon reported rainfall amounts including up to .28 of an inch in Bend, .41 of an inch in Madras and .12 of an inch in the Redmond area.
April’s official precipitation at Bend Airport totaled just .12 of an inch, which was two-thirds of an inch below normal for the month. Measurable precipitation (at least .01 of an inch) fell on just two days, with the heaviest, .07, on the 25th.
The new month’s rain will help, but Bend is still seeing drought conditions, as precipitation this year has totaled 2.45 inches, or 1.68 inches below normal, the NWS said. The “water year” (since October) precipitation for Bend has been 6.55 inches, or 1.77 inches below the 30-year average.
April also was a warmer than normal month in Bend, according to the NWS preliminary data. The average temperature of 46 degrees was 2.4 degrees above normal.
High temperatures averaged 61.2 degrees, or 4.5 inches above normal, with the highest reading, 84, on the 30th. Lows averaged 30.7 degrees, or 0.3 degrees above normal, with the lowest reading, 20 degrees, on the 16th. There were 18 days when Bend’s low dropped below freezing.
Prineville Airport had near-normal temperatures last month -- if you look at the average temperature of 46.4 degrees, or 0.2 of a degree above normal. But its average high of 64.5 degrees was 3.7 degrees above normal, while the average low of 28.4 degrees was 4.1 degrees below normal.
Prineville also had a dry month, with .41 of an inch of precipitation, nearly a half-inch below normal. It's had 2.3 inches of precipitation this year, more than 1 1/2 inches less than the 30-year average, and the "water year" (since October precipitation of 4.84 inches is nearly 2 1/2 inches below normal.
Saturday's tapered off by mid to late morning, and there's little chance of more for most of the next week, forecasters say.
