Winter Solstice 2013

[ski3pin]

Snowing here and I'm not complaining.


Winter Storm Watch

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
330 AM PST THU FEB 6 2014

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING...

STORM MOVING THROUGH INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL BRING SOME
SNOW TO THE SIERRA NEVADA TODAY WITH GENERALLY LIGHT
ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET. ANOTHER SERIES OF WETTER STORMS
FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FRIDAY
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE SHASTA...COASTAL...PLUMAS...AND SIERRA NEVADA
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE RISING TO NEAR PASS
LEVELS BY SUNDAY.


CAZ069-062330-
/O.CON.KSTO.WW.Y.0003.140206T1200Z-140207T0600Z/
/O.CON.KSTO.WS.A.0002.140207T2000Z-140209T0700Z/
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BLUE CANYON
330 AM PST THU FEB 6 2014

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS
EVENING ABOVE 4000 FEET...
...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING ABOVE 5000 FEET...

* IMPACTS: EXPECT PERIODS OF HAZARDOUS TRAVEL... CHAIN
  REQUIREMENTS AND TRAVEL DELAYS OVER THE NORTHERN SIERRA
  PASSES.

* CONFIDENCE: MODERATE.

* TIMING: LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW THIS MORNING DECREASING THIS
  AFTERNOON INTO EVENING. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW POSSIBLE FRIDAY
  AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. SNOW LEVELS AROUND 3000 FEET THIS
  MORNING INCREASING TO 4000 FEET TONIGHT AND FRIDAY THEN RISING
  TO ABOVE 6000 FEET THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: BLUE CANYON...DONNER PASS...ECHO SUMMIT...
  CARSON PASS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE ABOVE 4000
  FEET TODAY. 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE DOWN TO 3000 FEET
  THIS MORNING. 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER
  SIERRA TERRAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY.

* FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA...VISIT
  HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SACRAMENTO/HAZARDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I-5 closed at Albany. Winter storm conditions and severe 20 vehicle pileup northbound. Just starting to spit snow in Canby. Wood stove is fired up. More wood coming to the porch.

 

[MarkBC]

It's still just 8°F in Bend...and the super-light powder at these temps is very easy to remove: Just a broom was all that was needed to sweep my front steps of the few inches that covered them. Now the UPS man won't curse me when he arrives with packages this afternoon.
Hope he doesn't slip walking down my 100-foot driveway -- which I rarely clear at depths less than 1 foot
(when snow is deep at my house I just switch from driving my Honda Civic to driving my F250 -- I'm just a little lazy... )

 

[craig333]

Snow levels are supposed to rise to 8k feet Saturday. Not ideal but at this point its hard to complain as long as we get something.

 

[Smokecreek1]

I had more weather on the coast than here in Susanville, I came home to see some snow and got a splash of rain! Wind and a little rain/snow-that's what they are saying for today! Maybe snow on Saturday. Let see what happens, but at least the high country is getting something! And that's good, oh please let it snow here in the so the drought will lessen!

Smoke

 

[ski3pin]

So the weather drove you home Smoke? We're holing up around our hearth too.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Here at the Casa household we had a nice bit of rain.1 1/2" since Thursday early morning.Maybe we'll get some more.
Hope.hope.
Frank

 

[MarkBC]

Snowing again in Central Oregon this morning, but much "warmer" than yesterday: 24°F at 8 a.m., which is just about average for this time of day, this time of year. Warm-up in the forecast -- currently a Winter Storm Warning through tomorrow:

 

[Smokecreek1]

Yep, came back here to enjoy the fire and watch the snow fall ! It was cold and windy at Westport State CG-had some rain too ! Here it sprinkled a little here this morning and i got a nice fire going ---now if it would just snow !

Smoke

 

[Smokecreek1]

Dang, it started to snow then it stopped-now it's raining, at least that's something anyway-ah well time for another drink!

Smoke

 

[takesiteasy]

My brother in Corvallis reports 11 inches of snow on the ground and rain in the forecast.

In Palm Springs where I have been since Monday, it is forecast to be in the 70s with sun tomorrow- 80s coming for next week. I am loving it.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Where is the snow?

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

Where is the snow?

It's all at my house!
I just measured 18 inches deep on my deck, and it's still coming down...

...and is forecast to continue this weekend.
Frowning because it means that, for the first time in years, I may have to shovel my 100-foot driveway. Well, I've been needing to get more exercise... And it is mostly very light snow -- it's 10°F at my place now. But I better get on it -- it's forecast to turn to rain in a couple of days, but probably not enough to melt it all, just make it very sloppy and then re-freeze into a glacier at night.

Bend gets snow every winter, but usually just a few inches at a time -- we're at the edge of the high desert, after all... Anything over a foot of accumulation in one series of storms is pretty rare... It's like all the snow that should have fallen so far this winter is coming down now.
Local ski area, Mt Bachelor, has received over 4 feet in the past week, 21 inches of that in the past 24 hours -- good conditions for avalanche.

But, yes -- glad that we're finally getting snow
...glad it's in the mountains, at least, even if I'm less thrilled to have it in town.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Mark-I'll trade you some of our rain for some snow ? Got lot's of rain and some some snow in the hills around Susanville so at least we have something that is wet falling-finally !

Smoke

 

[craig333]

2.5" of rain is what they're forecasting for Sac through tomorrow. Nine inches in the mountains. In a normal year we'd be worried about flooding, trees falling over and that sort of thing. I wonder if its even going to be enough to saturate the ground. Certainly our reservoirs will have no problems holding it back. Impressive satellite footage of the storm extending a thousand miles out. Now if we could just get it a little colder.

 

[MarkBC]

...Impressive satellite footage of the storm extending a thousand miles out...

Glad to see that we've reclaimed our moisture from the Canadians...

 

[ski3pin]

Mr. BC, our snow turned to rain overnight and snow levels continue to rise. I've got two snowblowers here. One is a 37" 13 horse snapper that I've only used once this winter - heated grips, what luxury!. Barking Spider claims its big enough to run road kill through it but I care for my machinery a little better than that. Want to borrow it?

 

[MarkBC]

Mr. BC, our snow turned to rain overnight and snow levels continue to rise. I've got two snowblowers here. One is a 37" 13 horse snapper that I've only used once this winter - heated grips, what luxury!. Barking Spider claims its big enough to run road kill through it but I care for my machinery a little better than that. Want to borrow it?

Thanks, ski -- Want to run it up to me? Not sure I can get out of my driveway to retrieve it myself...
I suppose I should get a snowblower...a lot of folks in Bend do have them, though most winters they're not needed.
Real men have blades on the front of their trucks in winter...or at least on the front of their ATVs.
But I don't even own a table saw or a weed-wacker!
I do own a huge chain saw from my personal-wood-cutting days... So I'm not completely unfamiliar with large power tools!

It's 29° at 6300-foot Mt. Bachelor, so the 11° cold in Bend is being overridden by a warmer storm...hope the rain either holds off a day or two OR dumps enough to melt the snow in town entirely.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Mark,

it's 26º on the deck here in Canby. We have about 7 inches of snow on the ground, with another 4-8 inches predicted for late afternoon. That followed by a good chance of freezing rain. I'm sticking pretty close to the house, just because I don't want to play bumpers cars with all the people who don't have experience driving in this stuff.

Rain is supposed to take over on Monday, so I expect to see some interesting river levels by about Wednesday. With a little bit of luck, we will miss any major flooding. I'm hoping it stays cold in the mountains to preserve the snow pack.

 

[ski3pin]

Mr. BC, real men have big snowblowers. With Sierra cement blades make a berm that turns to concrete and your road gets narrower and narrower. ATVs -maggots are worthless toys with a blade but still the idiots try. Give me a 4 wheel drive kubota with a 40" wide blower and I'd be in heaven.