Rain ranges from a torrent to a drip

A rainy Saturday in the southern half of Central Oregon is likely to be followed by more rain Sunday, the first day of winter, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, rain gauges used by the weather service showed 2.43 inches fell at the Bend Watershed over the prior 24 hours, 1.68 inches at Black Butte Ranch near Sisters 1.55 inches near Tumalo Falls and 1.43 inches at La Pine. In Bend, different rain gauges reported anywhere from a quarter inch to a little more than half an inch.

Accumulations were higher closer to the crest of the Cascades. At Mount Bachelor, a foot of new snow was reported over 24 hours.

It was a drier day to the north, with roughly a tenth of an inch falling in Redmond and Madras, and around a third of an inch in Prineville.

Rob Brooks with the weather service office in Pendleton said similar accumulations of rain and snow are expected Sunday, with precipitation starting to subside by midafternoon — just as a new season arrives. Sunday is the winter solstice, with winter beginning at 3:03 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and the eventual promise of more daylight.