Cold mornings and chilly afternoons, winter begins Sunday
Moving into the rest of the holiday weekend the region will see plenty of sunshine each afternoon, and clear and starry nights. High pressure is in place over the Beaver State and that usually translates into clear conditions. The clear nights have allowed any heat that we gained during the day to radiate away and there have been some bitter cold nights in some locations. Sisters, La Pine and Sunriver have all dipped into the single digits recently.
This pattern will not change much over the next few days. Highs will rise a couple of degrees Saturday and Sunday, then a quick dip Monday before getting back to the 50s the rest of the work week.
Sunday begins the meteorological winter, defined by the three coldest months of the year in the northern hemisphere. The astronomical winter begins on the 21st of December, when the direct rays of the sun are over the Tropic of Cancer. This will be the shortest day of the year, then the daylight hours become longer. There will only be 8 hours and 52 minutes of daylight in Central Oregon on that day.
The next chance for some rain or snow over Central Oregon is not expected for at least the next 7 days. The dry and cold pattern is going to keep the “bluebird days” going on the Cascades. All ski resorts in the area are open for business now and it looks lovely on all the mountains.
The Drought Monitor is released each Thursday and the “Abnormally Dry” conditions have been removed from the mountains. The Moderate Drought category has been significantly reduces most area, but still present in each of our three counties.
Please stay safe.
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