weather

Similar to December, January in Bend was slightly warmer than normal, while February is expected to record temperatures and inches of precipitation consistent with this time of year, according to the National Weather Service office in Pendleton.

January’s temperatures were due to a high pressure effect and downward sloping winds from the Cascades that warmed things up, Camden Plunkett, a weather service meteorologist said.

“You’ll get the winds that come off the mountains that cause a frictional effect and then there is the high pressure effect pressing the air down on top of you,” said Rob Brooks, another weather service meteorologist.

The highest temperature in Bend was 62 degrees on Jan. 24, and the lowest was 13 degrees on Jan. 27, according to weather service data.

Plunkett pointed out the data for January in Bend is missing a week’s worth of entries, meaning the lowest and highest observed temperatures might not be entirely accurate.

The average high and low temperatures observed for January were 48 and 25.1 degrees, Plunkett said.

Normally, the average high and low for January is 42.5 and 24.6 degrees.

Plunkett added data spanning from 1901 to 2016 showed the highest temperature ever recorded in January was 71 degrees on Jan. 26, 2015, and the lowest recorded was minus 26 degrees on Jan. 31, 1950.

Weather service Climate Prediction Center data showed Bend can expect an equal chance of clocking above average or below average temperatures and precipitation for the month of February. This means the weather will most likely be consistent with this time of year.

The average high and low for February is 45.7 and 24.3 degrees, Plunkett said. The average temperature for the month is 35 degrees.

“It is going to be fairly consistent to normal,” Brooks said. “It’s going to be right around normal.”

Total precipitation for January is normally 1.41 inches. For February, that number is 0.99 inches, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data showed.