Snowfall Report:
6 inches of new snow fell at the base and 16 inches on the upper mountain over the past 24 hours, as of 5 AM Sunday. That brings the 3-day storm total to 31 inches so far on the upper mountain, and 137 inches so far for March!
Sunday – Sunday Night:
The moisture continues to stream into the Sierra Saturday through Sunday night with rain & snow showers continuing. Ridgetop winds gusting up to 60-70+ mph at times from the southwest. Highs into the 30s.
Snow levels fluctuate between the base and 7000 ft. through Sunday night, with heavier bands of precipitation helping to drag them lower at times. That means a mix of rain and snow is possible near the base. Above 7000 ft. we should see mostly all snow but wet/thick snow.
Here is the updated snowfall forecast for Sunday through Sunday night.
- 3-8 inches at the base.
- 5-10 inches at mid-mountain elevations.
- 7-12 inches on the upper mountain above 8000 feet.
Monday – Wednesday Morning Storm:
Rain and snow showers continue Monday, but may be on the lighter side. Highs into the 30s. Ridgetop winds gusting up to 70-80+ mph by afternoon, possibly affecting some upper mountain lift operations. Snow levels continue to fluctuate between the base and 7000 ft. with wet snow or a rain/snow mix at the base.
Another wet storm moves in Monday night into Tuesday. Then winding down Tuesday night with showers possible into Wednesday morning before clearing through the afternoon. Highs into the 30s both days. Ridgetop winds gusting up to 80-90+ mph Tuesday which should affect lifts. Then lighter for Wednesday.
Snow levels rise back up to 7000-8300 ft. Tuesday with the heavy precipitation pushing back in. Then falling back down near the base by early Wednesday morning near the end of the storm. Heavy rain for the lower half of the mountain on Tuesday and wet snow for the upper mountain above the snow line.
Here is the updated forecast for total snowfall expected for Monday through Wednesday morning. From the base up to 7500 ft. half of the forecasted amounts could fall before the change to rain and half after the change back. A boom/bust zone between 7500-8300 ft. based on where the snow levels end up.
- 3-8 inches at the base.
- 8-23 inches at mid-mountain elevations.
- 23-29 inches on the upper mountain above 8000 feet.
The storm clears out by Wednesday afternoon with some sun.
Thursday:
Weak high pressure builds in briefly on Thursday. That should bring us a nice day with mostly sunny skies and lighter winds. Highs into the 30s on the mountain and near 40 degrees at the base.
Long-Range:
We could see a weak system move through Friday with some light rain and snow showers.
The storm door looks to remain open through the 24th, but the storms could be on the weaker side as we get later into spring and the jet stream weakens and shifts north with time. We’ll keep an eye out for any wetter storms that may spin up later in the month.
The long-range models suggest that the pattern could trend drier toward the end of the month. We’ll continue to watch the trends. It would be nice to see some spring weather the weekend of the 31st-2nd for the Winter Wondergrass Festival!
BA
