While not unprecedented, it certainly is odd for the last week of June to see a weather bulletin with snow accumulation like this from NWS/NOAA. Here’s the storm system:
WWUS46 KSTO 272133
WSWSTO
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
233 PM PDT MON JUN 27 2011
..UNSEASONABLY COOL AND SHOWERY WEATHER SYSTEM TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY.
.A VERY DYNAMIC AND COOL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO APPROACH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA AND WILL MOVE OVER THE SIERRA NEVADA TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS PROJECTED TO BRING WELL ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR ALONG WITH CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS.
CAZ069-280945-
/O.NEW.KSTO.WW.Y.0074.110629T0900Z-110629T2100Z/
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
233 PM PDT MON JUN 27 2011
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM PDT
WEDNESDAY ABOVE 7000 FEET…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW OVER
THE WEST SLOPE OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA…WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM PDT WEDNESDAY.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: UP TO 5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL OVER THE CREST TO
INCLUDE CARSON PASS ON HIGHWAY 88…EBBETTS PASS ON HIGHWAY 4
AND SONORA PASS ON HIGHWAY 108.
* ELEVATION: EXPECT SOME SNOWFALL ABOVE 7000 FEET WITH MOST
ACCUMULATION ABOVE 7500 FEET.
* TIMING: BEGINNING AFTER MIDNIGHT AND ACCUMULATING BY 3 AM PDT.
* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: CARSON PASS ON HIGHWAY 88…EBBETTS PASS ON
HIGHWAY 4 AND SONORA PASS ON HIGHWAY 108.
* WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45
MPH.
* IMPACTS: HIGHWAYS ARE OPEN THROUGH PASSES, SO ACCUMULATION MAY
CAUSE DELAYS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW AND/OR
BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.
&&
global warming ?????
i don´t think so
> WELL ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS
What’s normal there for late June? I thought it was zero. Maybe the forecast is for 39100% of average precip for the day.
How will global warming believers damage control this?
isnt it mid summer in the USA? wtf?
victor says @ June 27, 2011 at 6:44 pm “global warming ????? i don´t think so”
Seriously? Because of late season snow? That is weather, not climate.
Wrather, my friends, weather.
Dark clouds rolled on in here about 2 hrs ago (NW Ca.), and have that serious thunderstorm look to them. I may post a pic of the Trinity Alps when it’s over if the snow gets down to 7,000′.
Not unprecedented, but rather rare. Fits the year perfectly.
What do you want to bet this is a pattern we’ll see repeated in July & August?
Reference my comment above: wrather = weather. Typing around a cat. Difficult.
Can you send some of this to Oklahoma?
Rhoda;
Easy and fun solution:
take 1 Tazer … apply as needed.
Ice ages start via a combination of weak summers (e.g. where the melt comes so late there is a high survival factor) and high precip.
In a response to comments about unseasonably high rainfall earlier this year (La Nina years in California are supposed to be drier than average), a post on CA Department of Water Resources daily news summary said that people expect climate, but they get weather. This response cautions us apply reality checks to our observations.
Still, the Sierra snowfall is unusual and should remind us of the unseasonably early snowfall that the Donner Party encountered.
My friends……the paradigm has seamlessly and smoothly shifted to ‘climate change’.
What’s this AGW business you keep bringing up?
Moderate Republican states,
“Seriously? Because of late season snow? That is weather, not climate.
Tornados in the south east of USA in 2011… Global Warming. Above average snow fall in late June in California…weather!
Where am I?
Moderate Republican says:
June 27, 2011 at 7:04 pm
It’s not the weather, it’s the year. A lot of weather rocks have struck long-standing weather windows this year.
Cold weather rocks.
Where’s your popcorn? You’re supposed to be getting into the trend of where this climate thing is going.
Captain Climate to Weather Dive Plane Steering, take her down.
So, you’re saying we shouldn’t let this eat at us? 😉
Rhoda Ramirez said:
June 27, 2011 at 7:10 pm
> Reference my comment above: wrather = weather.
> Typing around a cat. Difficult.
I like you 🙂
Brian H said:
June 27, 2011 at 7:25 pm
>Rhoda;
> Easy and fun solution:
> take 1 Tazer … apply as needed.
Rhoda – the only tazer application needed would be to Brian H.
Can hear him now:
Don’t taze me Rho!!!
What’s normal there for late June? I thought it was zero. Maybe the forecast is for 39100% of average precip for the day.
🙂
Here in Fresno we’re likely to get a bit of rain and maybe a T-Storm. That almost never happens this time of year!
Amino Acids in Meteorites says:
June 27, 2011 at 6:59 pm
How will global warming believers damage control this?
__________________________________
See:
Moderate Republican says:
June 27, 2011 at 7:04 pm
This is not a late season storm I predict that it’s an early winter storm for 2011-12. Bye bye, Summer. Hello, Winter.
Here’s hoping it continues across the US and brings some rain and relief. In particular, to the Los Alamos area where there’s a pretty big fire burning. And in Arizona.
And then is followed by several more such storms.
The one really good thing about all this AGW and CAGW hysteria, and especially the money spent to measure the change in climate, is that we will have excellent documentation of the beginning of the next Ice Age. Or, should it prove of shorter duration than an Ice Age, the beginning of the Gore Minimum.
“And the Sun hung like an un-blemished lemon in the sky.” — no sun spots.
Late June in the Northern Sierra is well into the start of the rainless summer. the climate for the area is called Mediterranean. All the precip from late Sept to early June. Art Day, Nevada City H.S., Class of 1950.
hoskald says: June 27, 2011 at 7:21 pm Can you send some of this to Oklahoma?
Yeah, maybe share it with Arkansas? All the way from the left coast to the right coast would be welcome down south.
Note to all cat lovers=Spoiled cats are worse than spoiled children.
If it’s not weather, you paid too much for your climate model forecast.
La Ninas, unlike lightning, often strike twice, and unlike El Ninos, they do whatever they please.
The climate models are about to get clobbered by a weather semi with no brakes.
Sure glad I’m not in the Climate Model Insurance biz.
Clearly this is due to AGW and of course no snow fall is due to AGW.
1+1=POTATO
i live in Sacramento and we had rain(and snow in the nearby mntns) in late May and early June as well and the same thing last year….and the temps last summer were so mild that tomatoes were about a month late….
i was starting to believe in global warming about 6-7 years ago when we had 3-4 years in a row of incredibly hot summers, including one stretch of almost 2 weeks of 108-110 degree high temps but since then things really seem to be cooling off in this area at least…
OH at Colorado restaurant; *Donner party of 11*, oh only 10 sorry about the wait …
It’s Interglacial Warming because a winter-type storm in summer fails to cover the entire PNW in a foot of snow clear down to sea level. What else could it be? It can’t be Interglacial Cooling, because that would lead us to…gulp!…a Little Ice Age.
In re: Rhoda Ramirez 7:06 PM I liked the “rather” as in
Dan Rather and his fixation on George W. 😉
Amino Acids in Meteorites says (June 27, 2011 at 6:59 pm): “How will global warming believers damage control this?”
Climate disuption aka climate chaos aka it’s worse than we thought aka we’re dooooooomed…again.
Thanks for the heads-up. I just checked the local weather report and saw 30% chance of showers tomorrow for Silicon Valley. Awwww maaaaaan…
Remember kids Global Warming causes more snow these days.
As the AGW alarmist like to point out, a snow alert in late June is weather.
Of course they also like to point out that one hot day proves…GLOBAL WARMING…RUN…RUN…THROW MONEY AT THE CLIMATOLOGY GODS!!!
I’m at the CalNeva at Lake Tahoe and the weather took a decided change for the winter this afternoon–windy and much cooler tonight. It would totally suck if we had to worry about chains over Donner Summit on the way home tomorrow. 🙂
Very unusual.
A rare snowstorm in June or whatever is not unprecedented, but these are not rare isolated storms coming through. It is one after another, for months on end. Two years in a row.
Roger Sowell says:
June 27, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Actually Roger this is a late season snowstorm. It has only stopped snowing, cleared, and warmed somewhat in the last two weeks…snowmelt in the high country started only 10 days ago. About 1/2 of the snowpack has melted. So there is still more snow up there than at the peak of a normal winter! Went skiing today, in fact.
Last year the progressive winter pattern lasted until the end of June…and started up again in the middle of August. It snowed here every month of the year except July.
So anyways, assuming summer will last more than the last 10 days and we get maybe a 6 week summer like last year, this is still ‘last winter’ 😉
Yeah, Robert, we already got clobbered. You should see all the weak looking corn, wheat & soybeans. Farmers in Texas and Georgia have told me that it wasn’t worth the tractor fuel for the combine. Trees pushed over and snapped.
I traveled Rangeline Road in Joplin, MO and the damage is almost unbelievable. Hmm, maybe we can make bread out of sawdust? Or stretch it out.
Roger Sowell – Not “Gore Minimum”, please. Even if meant sardonically, it may become regarded as an honour, which would be an honour most emphatically undeserved. Most around here are, I think, happy with “Eddy Minimum”, though other names have been put forward.
It’s been canceled:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
1048 PM PDT MON JUN 27 2011
CAZ069-280700- /O.CAN.KSTO.WW.Y.0074.110629T0900Z-110629T2100Z/
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
1048 PM PDT MON JUN 27 2011
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS CANCELLED…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS CANCELLED THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN HIGH ENOUGH OVER THE PASSES ON HIGHWAYS 88…4…AND 108 TO KEEP ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW TO A MINIMUM.
It’s still going to be unusually cold and wet for this time of year. Could be dangerous for backpackers that aren’t prepared.
WE just had the hottest day in the UK for 5 years, so it’s swings and roundabouts. France has been even hotter.
We’re going back to cooler weather now for 5 days – interesting to see if there is any inverse correlation between UK temperatures and California ones, eh?
Well, there’s another potential problem: Lightning fires.
Oh, and before I forget, a moderate Republican is just like Lyndon Johnson. We don’t need any more of those.
Thanks for stating the obvious. Now go along to the main stream media, especially those at the Guardian and BBC, and mention this little fact to them. “Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past” – it will soon be a very rare and exciting event. ;O) Lake Powell go!!!
Snow is not entirely inconsistent with global warming. Snow is a sign of a warmer climate. Less snow however can be pointed to as a sign of global warming also.
/ sarc ;O)
After our so-called ‘heatwave’…just 2 days of pleasantly warm weather, it is now cold again. I’m in Southern England. My tomatoes are still in the greenhouse…I usually put them out on the patio in early June.
I should have added that we were threatened with all the usual late-June catastrophes (especially by the rag online…the DM) of thunderstorms, large hailstones, floods and mini-tornadoes! Not seen here, slight rain is all we’ve had, and a gently veering breeze! (From SW to NW, now N as I look out).
It is just a weather.
In Germany, we are suffer a heat weave. Of course, it provides evidence of the AGW…
“Rhys Jaggar says:
June 28, 2011 at 1:16 am
WE just had the hottest day in the UK for 5 years, so it’s swings and roundabouts. France has been even hotter.”
======================================================
In a very small part of the UK, yes. For most of the UK, no.
Just remember the CAGW attribution algorithm:
if (temperature > normal) then
IT’S GLOBAL WARMING!! PLEASE TAX ME AND MAKE ME REPENT OF MY HIGH CARBON FOOTPRINT!!
elseif (temperature < normal) then
Meh. It's just weather. Anyhow it's consistent with global warming…
“It has only stopped snowing, cleared, and warmed somewhat in the last two weeks”
Hope you enjoyed your summer.
Very clear in the satellite image a huge polar high with its up-drafts locked below the Aleutians (hence the popular name Aleutian High). IPCC & Co. are ages away from understanding (admitting?) this sort of dynamics.
Best.
Rhys Jaggar says:
June 28, 2011 at 1:16 am
“WE just had the hottest day in the UK for 5 years, so it’s swings and roundabouts. France has been even hotter.”
So the temperature reached 75 degrees Fahrenheit? I am most familiar with Edinburgh and there the temperature struggles to reach 75 in August.
View from the Solent says:
June 28, 2011 at 4:28 am
“Rhys Jaggar says:
June 28, 2011 at 1:16 am
WE just had the hottest day in the UK for 5 years, so it’s swings and roundabouts. France has been even hotter.”
======================================================
In a very small part of the UK, yes. For most of the UK, no.
And the view from the Solway together with the rest of Scotland would no doubt agree with you.
2 days of 21C for the year does not a summer make.
The low doesn’t seem to be all that wet in this water vapor loop:
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/nepac/loop-wv.html
But you can clearly see the circulation of the Aleutian high which is unusual for this time of year. It generally breaks down by March.
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/1520-0469%281996%29053%3C2088%3AACOTAH%3E2.0.CO%3B2
rbateman says: “…What do you want to bet this is a pattern we’ll see repeated in July & August?”
If this repeats in July and August, we’re in serious trouble.
The front has arrived here in the Bay Area. The low its attached to is prog’ed to drift south, to a position just off the Golden Gate. Then a jet streak is forecast to push it on shore. TPW is trending upward. This could break all time records.
Moderate Republican, you need to review your talking points. Extreme weather events are not inconsistent with anthropogenic climate change. Don’t ya know.
Meanwhile, in South Hemisphere: Brazil, a Tropical Country? I don’t think so… look this:
http://www.metsul.com
Snow and much more in the next weekend!
Ps: Global Warming? Where?
Getting some good rain here from the initial impulse. Sky’s lightening a bit but there will probably be additional impulses through tomorrow.
Amino Acids in Meteorites says:
June 27, 2011 at 6:59 pm
How will global warming believers damage control this?
Amino;
Answer: They won’t have to. The MSM will not report it, and very few people will know about it.
Jay
The triple digit heat broke in Arkansas with a cool front and now there’s lots of welcome rain for the crops. Temperatures running in the 70°s. It’s raining all over the south from TX & OK eastward. My thinkolator is recalling 2008 and all the rain after Chaiten. Right about on schedule, but there was an eruption in Mexico as well as another big one in Chile.
Pouring rain in San Jose. I have seen a thundershower before in late June / early July, often with very little rain (most evaporates before it hits the ground) and some “dry lightning”, but this is the first time I have seen a winter pattern storm this late in the year.
One thing I have noticed from watching the water vapor map over the past several weeks is that Hawaii seems to have had pretty bad luck with the clouds. It looks like Hawaii has been nearly constantly cloudy this summer. Anyone living in Hawaii that can confirm that?
Hajimemashite.
[welcome ~ac]
SteveSadlov says:
June 28, 2011 at 9:59 am
The front has arrived here in the Bay Area. The low its attached to is prog’ed to drift south, to a position just off the Golden Gate. Then a jet streak is forecast to push it on shore. TPW is trending upward. This could break all time records.
===================================================
I was quite surprised while listening to the weather forecast this morning on the radio. The weatherman was having a laugh at “global warming” – on a San Francisco radio station no less.
In similar news, do I hear of a Marlins / Athletics game that is being delayed tonight by rain….in Oakland….on June 28th?
How unusual is that?
Must be climate change, and of course, the “AGW models” account for such.
Right, Gates?
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA
Now what I am wondering is, was this system a very late spring one or an early fall one? It will be interesting to see if we get a proper dry season this year. Now that we are past the Solstice, the question needs to be asked.
Wrhoda, the cat on my lap wrather liked your first answer.
Rhoda Ramirez says:
Reference my comment above: wrather = weather. Typing around a cat. Difficult.
Much easier than typing through one 😉
BTW, after the rain we had today in San Jose, per Wunderground, the numbers say we set a new all time record for the day:
http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/record-rain-in-san-jose/
Having my morning coffee near Sonora, Ca., still raining. Started about 7:00 last night, nice bit of lightning show, flashes every 5-10 sec for about an hour with heavy rain. Rained all night. Curious to see the totals, probably around .5-.75 inches. Rain is no so unusual for the foothills, but the duration and amount is..
Participating in a large community garden. Didn’t have to water it until June 15th, looks like we can stop for a week or two. 100 degrees forcast for this weekend. Sounds steamy!
I live in Lake Tahoe, at the 6400′ level, and we actually had some snow flurries this morning.
Yesterday I took advantage of the cool weather to hike into the mountains. Two weeks ago the snowpack was so deep so low I could only get 40 minutes in. Yesterday I got almost 2 hours in before having to turn back from the deep snow. Will need to bring snowshoes next time.
Now comes the great melt. Now about those levees … 😮
Speaking of water, a squirt pistol will do the job if a taser isn’t available. Careful not to drip into the kb, tho’!
I remember the last ‘Nina back in the 90’s. I went swimming in the creek in February because of temps in the 90’s, and the following June, had a fire going to keep warm.
Just like this year…