What a difference a little elevation makes.

The Cascades and La Pine were walloped Monday with the first significant snowstorm of the season while Bend residents received only a drizzly, early-season tease, according to the National Weather Service.

Skiers took advantage of the early snowfall while residents of La Pine, elevation 4,233 ft., got about 8 inches of snow from Sunday night through Monday at 8 p.m., said Mike Vescio of the National Weather Service Office in Pendleton.

”It seems like the elevations – generally about 4,000 feet or so – are in that 6- to 8-inch range,” Vescio said.

At Mt. Bachelor, several feet of fresh powder in the parking lot of the not-yet-open resort beckoned skiers to climb up and ski down. The mountain had a base of 37 inches as of 8 p.m. Monday, according to the resort’s Web site.

A weather spotter at Pine Mountain Observatory, elevation 6,500 ft., said the area received between 12 and 18 inches of snow between Sunday night and Monday night, Vescio said.

The snowfall could be a taste of things to come if the La Nina weather pattern shapes up as predicted.

The phenomenon, which historically has brought wetter winters to the Pacific Northwest, occurs when temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean drop lower than normal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Web site.

Oregon State Climatologist George Taylor has predicted a wetter winter than average, particularly after January.

The La Nina effect can position the jet stream to bring storms across the Pacific Northwest, said Vescio of the National Weather Service.

If we do go into a La Nina, it would be wetter than normal, Vescio said.

Its too early to tell if the early snowfall will lead to more available irrigation water next summer, said Kyle Gorman, manager of the south-central region for the Oregon Department of Water Resources.

All we can say is its a really great start to the water year, Gorman said. But man, anything can happen.

Since Oct. 1, the Deschutes and Crooked River drainages have received about 130 percent of average precipitation, Gorman said.

Monday night was likely the coldest of the year in Bend and Redmond, Vescio predicted at about 8 p.m. Forecasts called for a low of 18 degrees in Redmond and 21 degrees in Bend.

Chances for rain and snow will decrease for the next several days, Vescio said.

Well have 3 to 5 days of quiet weather, then well be back to active weather as we head into next weekend, he said.