Articles written by Ron Thorkildson
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What will winter bring?
There is an increasing probability that the upcoming winter weather will be orchestrated by a moderate to strong El Niño. What that means in our part of world is that warmer and drier than... — Updated 9/26/2023
What will winter bring?
After yet another long hot, dry summer that has extended well into fall here in Central Oregon, a major shift in the weather pattern has finally brought cooler temperatures and much-needed... — Updated 11/2/2022
Where the heck did Sisters’ snowy winter go?
Early last fall seasonal forecasters were eyeing changes taking place in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Sea surface temperatures there were trending lower, a sign that the El Niño... — Updated 2/15/2022
Don’t expect a drought-buster this winter
Last summer’s record-setting heat was adversely impactful here in the western U.S., leading to numerous wildfires that burned well into the fall. The heat worsened already severe drought co... — Updated 10/12/2021
What’s happening with Sisters’ weather?
Except for a couple of light dustings of snow that quickly came and went, Sisters Country has been remarkably free of winter-like conditions even as we advance deeper into the heart of the... — Updated 1/19/2021
Are we headed into a cold, wet winter?
After enduring one of the worst fire seasons in modern history, Oregonians earnestly hope the upcoming winter will deliver an ample supply of much-needed moisture to extinguish the fires still burning and to ease extreme drought conditions... — Updated 10/13/2020
Brightest comet in years soars over Sisters
A celestial visitor that hasn’t been around these parts in about 6,800 years is currently putting on an impressive display in Sisters’ skies. The cosmic traveler is comet NEOWISE C/2020 F... — Updated 7/14/2020
Saving the Dark film was a hit in Sisters, encore showing on tap
Finding a parking space in the vicinity of the Sisters Movie House last Wednesday evening, January 15, was a more difficult task than normal for a weeknight. A likely reason for this was,... — Updated 1/22/2020
A tranquil winter... so far
Early in the week of Thanksgiving a slug of cold, moist air in British Columbia was poised to plunge southward, and the Pacific Northwest appeared to be in the crosshairs. While the frigid air was not of arctic-like intensity, it was potent... — Updated 1/7/2020
Winter is coming: Tame or tumultuous?
This is the time of the year when key aspects of the atmosphere and ocean begin to emerge that will drive weather patterns in the coming weeks and months. Soon seasonal forecasters will... — Updated 10/8/2019
Stars over Sisters
Astronomers estimate that more than two-thirds of all stars have one or more companions to accompany them in their journey through the cosmos. Our sun, however, seems to be going it alone in... — Updated 4/9/2019
Sisters science students explore solar system
Six student members of the Sisters community RECON team recently returned from the 2019 network-wide conference held in Boulder City, Nevada, with renewed enthusiasm and dedication to... — Updated 3/26/2019
Warm, dry winter in Sisters Country?
Earlier in the fall climate forecasters began to speculate about the kind of weather the Pacific Northwest might experience this winter. On September 20, Pete Parsons, meteorologist for the O... — Updated 12/18/2018
Black Butte Ranch values its dark skies
On the evening of Friday, November 9, four high school students of the Sisters Astronomy Club - Joelle Asson, Amy Hills, Paola Mendoza and Ramsey Schar - and educator Rima Givot ventured into the dark of night to measure, well... the dark of... — Updated 11/20/2018
Will winter restore snowpack?
After a hot, dry, and smoky summer here in Central Oregon, autumn finally arrived at 6:54 p.m. PDT on Saturday, September 22, bringing with it the prospect of cooler temperatures and cleaner... — Updated 10/10/2018
A tale of two winters
Sisters Country might as well have had two winters this season - one mild and dry, and one with plenty of snow and chilly temperatures. When a neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation... — Updated 3/6/2018
Nothing extreme about winter forecast
As if on cue, the arrival of September's autumnal equinox brought with it an abrupt change in the weather. Earlier in the month the heat and smoke of summer was still in play as temperatures... — Updated 11/21/2017
What does winter hold in store for Sisters?
It shouldn't be much of a stretch to suppose that wildfire-weary residents of Central Oregon - and much of the entire western U.S. - will welcome the onset of the fall and winter seasons.... — Updated 9/26/2017
Stars over Sisters
The magnificence of last month's total solar eclipse will likely stay with, perhaps for a lifetime, the many thousands of Central Oregon residents who witnessed it. Though the weather was mos... — Updated 9/5/2017
Spectacular sky show is on the way
Few sights in nature can equal the exquisite and awe-inspiring beauty of a total solar eclipse. To gaze upon the sun's pearly white corona, upon which orange colored prominences occasionally... — Updated 6/20/2017
What a winter we've had in Sisters
Extreme winter weather battered Central Oregon in December and January, while February brought a respite to its snow-weary and frost-bitten residents. Three-foot snow depths were common in... — Updated 3/14/2017
Stars over Sisters
Ask someone to name a prominent constellation of winter and the response you'll probably get is Orion. This will often be the case even if the person doesn't know and is totally guessing. It... — Updated 2/2/2017
Winter's not through with Sisters Country
Somewhat more moderate temperatures over the past two weeks have aided Central Oregon residents in digging out from one of the heaviest snowfalls in recent memory. But there's still a lot of... — Updated 1/31/2017
Frigid weather held Sisters in icy grip
Central Oregon's prolonged spell of cold, snowy weather provided a certain wintry charm to the holiday season this year. That "charm," however, came, quite literally, at a cost. Local residen... — Updated 1/11/2017
Winter storm smacks Sisters hard
On Wednesday, December 14, Old Man Winter took dead aim on Central Oregon and dealt the region a staggering blow. The wintery blast closed schools, federal and state offices, as well as many... — Updated 12/20/2016
