AR Storms Deliver Record Precipitation-The “Pineapple Express”
By now you know it seems like the coldest wettest and coldest winter on the West Coast and the next week will bring even bigger “atmospheric river” storms. Here is an update as well as weather resources:
First AR storm dumping 3.5 to 7ft at Mammoth Mountain, 145 in. YTD!
Here is Snow History at Mammoth. We are still behind last year (total 362 in.) but February 2016 was dry with only 20 inches of snow.
California’s Best Skiing & Snowboarding | Mammoth Mountain
Second storm coming Saturday -Howard explains in technical detail what is behind this LaNina pattern:
Mammoth Lakes Weather brought to you by Howard Sheckter
Excerpts:
“The set up is cold troughing in the pacific NW coupling with a WSW mid latitude upper jet undercutting the GOAK Ridge. This is associated with Gulf of AK Blocking pattern #1. (-EPO); Pattern #2 will be associated with the same ridge that will retrograde (back up) to the Bering Sea.”
“If you want to know if the end is in sight, you have to know when the block will be gone from the Bering Sea. It looks like it will weaken by the end of next week. So if that is true, about the 15th or so should be the end of this pattern. If the blocking persists with any significance, the pattern will continue wet until which time the block either falls apart or it retrogrades west over Siberia, Rus.”
14 Day Outlook forecasts above average precipitation:814prcp.new.gif 719×759 pixels
NOAA Outlook-Day 4,5 Fronts:
Real Time Radar:Intellicast – Current Radar in CA – Bakersfield
Precipitation in LA for the season was 5.9 inches compared to 1.04 lats year and the season norm (Oct 1) is 4.45 inches.
The CA Department of Water Resources (cdec) presents incredible detail on precipitation and drought relief so it will be interesting to look at the data at the end of January.For example here are detailed rainfall maps.
And for CA travelers here are current highway conditions. Type in Ca highway 88 and you will see that my planned trip next week over the Sierra near Kirkwood Ski Resort may not happen due to pass closure.
Here is complete West Coast snow report from On the Snow.
View of West Coast weather from space.
And here is an Atmospheric River Portal courtesy of UCSD.
We will update this post on Saturday.