Winter!

[Lighthawk]

Wow, that's a lot of rain in a day!

What is your normal annual precip total?


We got another .79 of an inch since midnight for a total of 4.65 inches of rain in 24 hrs.
Our annual precip for Nevada City is 55 inches. It a lot, but probably mostly just soaked in after our protracted dry spell.

 

[ski3pin]

Lots of rain and wind last night. It turned to snow this morning, off and on all day with little accumulation.

 

[MarkBC]

The temperatures in Bend (at my house) were unusually steady, barely varying day or night , for several days -- cold, but above freezing, and damp. It's as if Bend had moved to the northwest coast -- maybe southeast Alaska -- for a few days...



And the pressure got quite low Saturday morning...

 

[MarkBC]

"Meager Sierra snow worries CA officials, farmers"
(AP News story)

Not good...

but there's still time for some recovery, as we've had in Oregon (now at about 70% of normal).

 

[craig333]

Since they've been keeping records, a snowpack like this one has never even made it to average, let alone better than average.

 

[ski3pin]

Just got a look at the Mokelumne River Basin snow survey for Feb, 1, 2012. Comes in at 27% of normal for this date.

 

[MarkBC]

Things are better in Oregon...but no storms on the horizon, so we're not out of a drought-year situation yet:

 

[Smokecreek1]

Looks like Ca and Nevada will burn up this year, , But it sounds like we can play in Oregon anyway. I've lived up here since 1980, and this is about the worst I've seen it! There is hardly any snow in the mountains around here, guess I should quit bitching and go play out there before that wished for storm come in and trap in us in!

Smoke

 

[ski3pin]

Well there is just enough "winter" in the back yard here to do a long backcountry ski at Carson Pass.

With a little over 25% of normal snowpack, we were surprised the coverage for skiing was as good as it was although I did rock a ski as I exited the bottom of one bowl.

It was a delight to be back up in alpine terrain.

Snow conditions were challenging with this area's usual wide variety of snow conditions - breakable crust, pockets of powder, hard wind slab.

Lake Tahoe to the north as we work our way down. It was a great day and whets the appetite for more, much more.

 

[MarkBC]

Sure looks like winter, ski3pin.

 

[Gormley Green]

A little GoPro footage from some yoyoing last week in my backyard I'm on the splitboard and my friend Lee visiting from NY is on the AT's.

I started a new job today so my mid-week sessions are over for the next 2 months. So jokes on me.

 

[craig333]

You snow people speak the strangest language

 

[MarkBC]

You snow people speak the strangest language

Is that what that was? I just thought it was Canadian...

 

[Gormley Green]

I just thought it was Canadian...


Burn! Well played.

Is a translation required for the older gentlemen?

 

[MarkBC]

Is a translation required for the older gentlemen?

On this the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth, I think it would improve communication and understanding if we all used the language as was spoken in his day.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Guys
How do you spell that? By the way it's snowing here in the Honey Lake Valley-and it looks like its sticking! I hope I remember how to drive in it! But they say it will be 55 degrees by Thursday---I'm confused? Is it winter or spring-where is that ground hog! Got to go find my sorals!

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

It's looking wintry right now up at the Barcroft Lab at 12,000' in the White Mts (California).



I made this (very) crude pano from taking snapshots (just a few minutes ago) with the lab's steerable live video webcam. It's, not-surprisingly, windy up there -- the view was shaking back and forth.

 

[ski3pin]

At the end of the day it was 60° here and I opened all the doors and windows in the place. That is just wrong. A high of 35° would be more in line with the calendar.

 

[MarkBC]

Yeah, again I say: winter?

In my early-January trip to central January I actually kinda missed the harshness of winter, and I definitely missed having snow, if only for it's photogenic properties.
So...next week I'm planning to head south 600 miles to the eastern Sierra for some "winter" camping. Why am I not headed north 600 miles if I want winter camping?

 

[Gormley Green]

Why am I not headed north 600 miles if I want winter camping?

You could if you wanted to cross the border. Stop by and say hi though.