We’re Paige and Mason. The Bend Banner is our way of keeping tabs on this wild, beautiful place we call home. To the mornings that start with coffee and mountain air, the trails that somehow always lead to a brewery, and the kind of small-town stories that remind you why you chose to live here in the first place.

The Last Time The Ocean Got This Warm

A few nights ago I was on the couch scrolling Instagram when local guy Pete Alport posted a series of stories that made me sit up. He'd pulled snowfall numbers from every recent Super El Niño winter and lined them up.

So we went digging too.

The Pacific Ocean is running hotter than anyone has ever measured, and it usually doesn't peak until December. NOAA gives it a 75% chance of becoming the strongest El Niño since 1950. Oregon's state climatologist told The Source it's "likely to blow any previous El Niño off the charts."

Normally, El Niño means warm and dry for us. But the really big ones seem to flip the script, moving California's storms north into the Cascades.

It's only happened three times on record:

Winter	Mt. Bachelor Snowfall
1982-83	526”
1997-98	333”
2015-16	412”

Bachelor averaged 427 inches those winters, two feet over normal. Last year we only had 206” of snowfall on Bachelor. Double the amount of snowfall for Bachelor this year would be awesome!

Bend sits at 3,600 feet, right on the rain-snow line. Bachelor's base starts around 6,300. When a warm storm rolls in, we get slush in town, and the mountain gets dumped on. And due to El Niño, it may actually be warmer in town this winter than typical. So although Bachelor might get more snow, there’s a decent chance we get less in town.

I know one thing for sure: our 3-year-old is praying we get some at our house to sled on, and I’m pretty hopeful for that too.

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This Week’s Conditions
☀️ Sunrise: 7:09 am
🌅 Sunset: 6:36 pm
High Temp: 82°F
Weather Max: Weather Report
17 years ago in Bend: Early October Snow

🐾Bend’s Best Good Boys & Good Girls 🐾

🐶 Polly – 1 Year, German Shepherd
She is a shy pup looking for an owner to teach her, as she is super intelligent. She just looks like the cutest, most playful pup there could be.

🐕 Benson – 2 Years - Mix
Came in as a stray and took a while to come out of his shell. Now he's a total sweetheart, happy to take pets and treats from anyone. His adoption fee is already sponsored.

🐶 Josie – 10 Months - Mix
She came in as a stray and is a ‘fuzzy wiggly’ pup that is ready to be loved.