Is winter back for an encore? Thus far it's been a disappointing performance.

            Just when hope was dwindling for a recharge of this winter’s snowpack a strong weather system rolled into the Cascades on Presidents Day, with Mt. Bachelor reporting more than a foot of the fluffy stuff over a 48 hour period.

Freshies at Mt. Bachelor early Presidents Day

            Even down the road halfway back to downtown Bend the trail groomer for Meissner Nordic area was merrily setting new cross country tracks where only a week before there was bare ground.

            With single digit temperatures forecast for the evening and cold expected for much of the week it appeared that mid-February was giving a reprieve for an otherwise lackluster snow season.

Grooming video at Meissner

                        

            Even so, a much warmer than normal winter has the Oregon vineyard industry concerned that vines may begin to produce buds prematurely—raising the risk of a later hard freeze causing damage.

            However, the uptick in high country snow is welcomed by hay ranches and growers who depend on irrigation from the Deschutes River and its tributaries.

            As of Presidents Day the SnoTel instruments maintained by the Natural Resources Conservation Service showed that the basin snow water equivalent had dropped to 28%, down from about 51% on Feb 1. Precipitation was at 78% of normal Feb 19.

            It will likely be a few days before the new snowfall is reflected in the SnoTel instrument readings.