From the “weather is not climate” department, I’m getting reports this morning of snow down to 2500 feet in Forest Ranch, CA a few miles from where I live. This is not surprising, give the cold storm coming through at the moment. The lateness of the storm and the low snow levels may surprise some people.
It is quite cold in the Sierra right now, with higher elevations having temps in the high teens and twenties, even at 11AM. Here is a screencap of this MESONET interactive map:
I recall in 1993, after Pinatubo, how we had snow in the Sierra in the first week of June.
Dr. John Christy wrote yesterday of the southern Sierra Nevada forecast discussion which he thought was unusual:
Anthony:
I was born and raised in Fresno County in 1950s- early 1970s where I developed my climate passion (well before global warming issues). You don’t see winter storm warnings for the Southern Sierras in mid-May too often. It’s not like they haven’t had enough snow this season.
John C.
000 FXUS66 KHNX 142145 AFDHNXAREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 245 PM PDT SAT MAY 14 2011 .... CURRENT TIMING INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MAY BE NEAR MIDNIGHT WITH THE BULK OF THE PRECIP CLOSER TO 5 AM PDT ON SUNDAY. WITH THIS TIMING...PUSHED THE ONSET OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING CLOSER TO 5 AM PDT WHEN THE COLD POOL BEGINS TO PUSH INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. WHILE SHORT RANGE MODELS PROG SNOW LEVEL NEAR 5000 FEET OVERNIGHT...BEST DYNAMICS ALONG WITH GOOD OROGRAPHIC LIFT MAY ALLOW FOR 6 TO 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW ABOVE 6000 FEET. THEREFORE...WILL UPGRADE THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON TO A WARNING AND START IT AFTER 5 AM PDT ON SUNDAY. ...
Looks like more is headed our way:
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This may be a relatively minor system compared to what may follow if the Pineapple Express continues to trend South. Hawaii has been in continuous rain for 10 days, in one instance 4″ per hour.
http://weather.yahoo.com/img/pac_oce_sat_440x297.jpg.html
The Central Valley could use a bit of rain, but the rest of the State is in fine shape.
http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action
Hi Anthony,
We live in Cohasset at 3200′. Woke up to light snow and we have gotten between 3 and 4 inches and it is still falling!!!
At this rate cAGW will allow year round snow skiing 🙂
After a rather mild winter we are getting a cold spring here in central Greece. As if the weather has shifted a month. Swallows arrived only last week, instead of end March/beginning of April. We needed central heating until last week too, a first. Usually it is off by 1st of April.
You don’t often see cold storms this late into Spring in N. Calif. either.
You don’t expect Winter Storm Warnings as well.
Funny, but something that was touted to be a ‘thing of the past’ is now an event today.
This does not worry me, I know it is rather benign, though rather chilly.
What bothers me is the setup if another May, 1955 were to occur.
It was snowing very lightly this morning, about 11:20am, outside my window in Reno. I’m at about 4900′ in N.W. Seems like it’s snowed a little each week since spring started.
Hearing John is from the Fresno area, it brought back some fond memories as a kid spending time up the mountain on that side of the Sierra. He was just a short drive to the Big Trees. We had a cabin just off of 180 in Pinehurst, and I’m sure John stopped in Wilsonia too while enjoying the park. It was the last privately owned land inside a national park.
A heavy hail cell passed over Palo Alto at about 10 am this morning. The hail was split-pea-sized, and came down hard and thick when the center came through.
It’s presently showery, and at 45 F within 3 F of the historic low for today. According to Weather Underground, Palo Alto has no historical record of rain in May.
[ryanmaue: here in Monterey CA, it was heavy graupel and rimed ice chunks — just like a Coke fountain ice dispenser — very cold too for a daytime high, 55F]
it’s cold in Toronto as well. Unusually, some trees are not in leaf yet.
Reno. 12:20pm. It’s snowing. The sun’s out, and it’s snowing.
May 15, 2011. It’s worse than we thought.
Forecast for the next 5-days. The USA looks a lot below normal. What a crappy May.
I heard some squeaks last evening so I am assuming I have bats returning. Which is WAAAAYYYYY late. Infant mortality rate will be high again this fall when they leave. We also have bare trees yet. And snow is coming to the Wallowa valley floor early this week.
We have moved to Texas but still keep our place in the Sierra foothills, 1600 ft. It was sleeting a few minutes ago. When we got back here last week we found two big trees down from a storm the week before. The irony of it was that the big oak tree came down inches away from our residence. The only damage, however, was the blade on a hockey stick I had in front yard was broken off.
12:45pm Weaverville, Ca.
Rain, 43F, cold air descending, a perfectly miserable May 15th.
People everywhere are grumbing, demanding to know when Summer will arrive.
Early season campers have arrived, packed up and gone home.
Fishing is lousy with streams and rivers too high & swift.
Rafters and Whitewater outfits sit idle.
Summer Lodges and Lake Resorts are nervous.
Am glad you posted this. I have been watching the west cool down for several years. Many more days of good skiing (on all that white global warming stuff). For those who fall for the last 30 year warming as being something of a great turn in climate, keep in mind who is choosing the data and where the data is derived. The trees I cut for fire wood do not show any “healthier tree climate” for the past ten years. That relates to temperature (what drives the chemistry speed for plants) that has fallen combined with no lack of water.
I have also noticed some high mountain roads being impassable later in the year with record snow depths. The mammoth snowpack that has delighted skiers and challenged cross-state travelers over the past months is contributing to the latest opening of the North Cascades Highway since the 1970s, with workers clearing snow up to 65 feet deep.
Mckenzie Pass in Oregon still has snow drifts 30 feet deep. In recent memory, the snow has never been that high” at a location near the summit known as “the cut,” where the snow piles up the deepest, says Peter Murphy of ODOT.
The examples are plenty. Good deals on cross country skis and snow shoes. Invest for the future… 🙂
Ryan N. Maue says:
May 15, 2011 at 12:40 pm
I keep noticing the JJA forecast for Pacific NW keeps getting cooler & wetter with each passing month. Do you see any tangible signs of a June turnaround in the works?
The storm is bad enough to delay the Amgen tour. On the bright side of things the tree limbs that broke at my location (2400 feet elevation just east of Placerville, CA) , due to the 4″ of wet snow, didn’t fall on any power lines….
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/15/3628165/weather-delays-amgen-snow-at-low.html
It’s fine if you like skiing, so much for the end of the skiing industry due to AWG. And if you do like skiing, this other map looks beautifully red in the Sierras and Northern California: http://www.meteoexploration.com/snow/snowmapsUS.html
I’m sure we’ll see stories about climate change causing the excessive snow (and that their models predicted it [not]). Then we’ll see stories about the excessive snow harming the ski industry because of avalanche dangers, lifts being buried, roads impassable… (fill in the blanks). Then we’ll see horror stories about excessive run off causing flooding, erosion, crop destruction…
You’re already seeing it in the Louisiana flooding (can anyone say levees? Let’s channel the river and then be surprised when it creates massive floods down river).
Colorado just got another foot of snow in the mountains and up to 6 inches in the Denver metro area. Some of the ski areas will be open weekends until the 4th of July, A Basin reports still having a 94 inch base. Some people have been skiing anyway, despite the lifts being shut down.
As for the Denver area, it was nice to get some consistent rain after the dry and windy La Nina winter and spring. We got our average amount of rain for the month of May in just 2 days and we’re greening up nicely.
The best thing is that with all of the snow in the mountains, we won’t have any kind of water shortage this summer.
That snow delayed the start of the “Tour of California” bike race
3 minute news report from today, 5/15/11
From Marina del Rey in Southern California, part of Los Angeles. Clear and cool with brisk wind from the cold front that is sweeping the state. About 7 degrees F (4 deg C) cooler maximum temperature here today compared to the historic norm of 74 degrees F. We had a small scattering of rain here early this morning.
Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the Southern Sierras got 4 to 8 inches of fresh snow overnight. Their website states they will be open through July 4th this year.
Also, northern Michigan is forecast to have a hard freeze tonight. Not the Upper Peninsula, but the main section. I’m sure the farmers are thrilled.
http://www.meteoexploration.com/snow/
This is more like it! 🙂
I live in the same county as rbateman, and just put more wood on the fire. So glad I stocked in a good supply last fall. I didn’t expect to still be needing a fire in the stove this late in the spring. However, I have many decades of rainfall records from living in Portola Valley, toward the foothills from Palo Alto, and differ with weather underground. Just a quick look at my records show significant rainfall in May 1990, from May 20 to 31 about an inch and a half over that period. Also in 1995 we had almost 2″ between May 1st and June 16th.
In Shanghai this winter, we had more snow than anyone can remember – some who have lived in Shanghai for 80+ years. And we’re just now reaching the point where I need to turn on the air conditioning. Usually it’s been in use for a month by now, but this year has been freakishly cold.
Also, rain has been lower as well, it seems – we do get the occasional squall, but the spring rains never really materialized…
Some new snow has fallen in the Colorado mountains and A-Basin still has a 91″ base.
http://www.arapahoebasin.com/ABasin/default.aspx