High Sierra Topix

http://www.easternsierraforecast.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pineapple Express is teaming up with a Strong Cold front.
We are being advised of up to 6" inches of rainfall in the Santa Cruz Mountains by early next week.
Flooding, and mudslides possible.
Batten down the hatches my mountain dwelling Brothers and Sisters!
Bring It!

Forecast is for 6 days of rain Thursday night through next Wednesday. Big December storms occasionally put 6 inches of rain in the wet spots of our nearby Santa Cruz Mountains in just a couple days so potentially we could be seeing double figures. Supposedly more likely to impact the those mountains, the Santa Lucia, Central and Southern Sierra. Excites me.

WOW! Thanks for the chart Shaun.
I wonder how 7 inches of precip translates into snow depth wise.
The Sierra is gonna get slammed! I would love to be up at Little otter lake just
hunkered down for these storms. Watch all the snow pile up. Just be like a piece of
Granite, silent witness to the onslaught of the tempest.
I once weathered out a late spring wind/snow storm there but it only lasted two days.
I remember watching my barometer drop.. and drop.. and drop.. I think it hit 990mb at one point.
My Choinard pyramid would have been blown away had I not weighed down the circumference with stones.
I remember hunkering down in my tent that day.. the winds were 60 or 80 MPH...
I went out to the edge of the lake during the height of the storm and got frost nip before i returned to my shelter in only 10 minutes. Scary and invigorating at the same time.
The Sierra can be so beautiful when it's trying to kill you.

Otter Lake May 2008 Northern Yosemite Wilderness

Not at all a Pineapple Express type of winter storm but rather a more rare west to east mid latitude across the Pacific static jet stream conveyer belt anchored by a big circulating pool of cold air in the Gulf of Alaska. The really interesting weather will occur later in the week when the cold pool moves and what direction. Would not place much confidence in forecaster predictions for how that plays out.

Storm has hammered areas of the Central Coast and areas east. Several coastal areas from Monterey to Ventura are over 2 or 3 inches. In coast mountains remote weather sites like Mining Ridge and Three Peaks are over 6 inches. Carrizo Plain showing 3 inches that bodes well for an earlier than usual spring wildflower bloom. Even habitually dry Bakersfield over 2 inches! Higher snow level with Mammoth most impressive. From the mammothmountain.com ski resort site this Sunday morning:

"This storm is nothing short of amazing! Since Friday, the storm total is 6 1/2 feet to 9 feet of snow! Mammoth received 36”-50” of snow in the last 24 hrs and is expecting a couple more feet of new snow today and tonight. This storm will put this month, December 2010, in the top 5 snowiest Decembers ever recorded since 1969. Take extra precautions if driving up to and around Mammoth as visibility is low. Snow base depth is 9.5ft-14ft with fresh powder, packed powder, and machine groomed conditions. The 10:30am temp at Main Lodge is 30 degrees with 20 mph winds, at the top it’s 23 degrees with 67 mph winds. "

Central state storm radar precip total graphic:

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid= ... 11&loop=no" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Check out the wind on top of Mammoth Mountain - whew!

Well hopefully the glaciers will benefit from all this weather. i am looking forward to a dry spell eventually.