Monday:
We have some strong inversions happening most mornings. That is bringing low clouds and valley fog. Temperatures are in the teens at the base and 30s up top again Monday morning.
Mostly cloudy skies are expected for Monday. Highs in the 30s. Breezy winds from the west gusting up to 30+ mph up top by Monday afternoon.
Tuesday System:
Mostly cloudy skies and breezy winds with the chance of a few snow & rain showers from early Tuesday into Tuesday night. Winds gusting up to 40+ mph up top from the west. Highs in the 30s.
Snow levels could be near the base Tuesday morning and then could rise above 7000 ft. during the afternoon, and possibly above 8000 ft. Tuesday night. That means we could see some rain showers at the base & lower mountain Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Above 7500 ft. we could see a coating to an inch of snow by Wednesday morning.
Wednesday – Thursday:
We could still have some clouds and a few showers around into Wednesday morning. Then we are expecting skies to start clearing some with partly sunny skies by afternoon. Ridgetop winds still gusting up to 40+ mph up top. Highs in the 30s on the mountain to near 40 degrees at the base.
For Thursday we are expecting partly sunny skies. Highs in the 30s on the mountain to near 40 degrees at the base. We could see lighter winds up top for Thursday.
Friday System:
High pressure will be building over CA through Friday. The next storm moves inland to our north on Friday. Most forecast models keep any moisture to our north, but a few suggest some light showers could reach the northern Sierra.
Higher-elevation snow showers are possible above 8000 ft, and maybe a few rain showers reaching the lower mountain. If the system stays to our north we could see partly sunny skies again. Highs in the 30s on the upper mountain and lower 40s at the base.
Christmas Weekend:
Strong high-pressure builds in over CA for Christmas weekend. That should bring us sunny skies and some milder temperatures. Highs into the 40s on the mountain for the weekend and maybe 50s at the base for Christmas Day.
Long-Range:
The dry pattern may last into Monday the 26th. Then starting the 27th through the end of December, the long-range models are showing a shift to a wetter pattern. Storms tracking into the Pacific NW look to dig farther south into CA and the northern Sierra.
We’ll continue to watch this trend to see if we could pick up some stronger storms and snow on the mountain during the last 5 days of the month.
BA
