Well, mother nature sure has a sick sense of humor. We will probably see the coldest or close to the coldest storms all winter over the next 5 days...in April. Makes me think of that classic line, 'Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?' from that even more classic Alanis Morissette song, 'Ironic'. I don't know if our coldest storms coming in April at the tail end of a warm, drier winter qualifies as irony, but hey, Alanis Morissette didn't really understand irony either.
Figure 1. Storm total precipitation for the Saturday/Sunday storm(s).
ANYWAYS...look for snow possibly tonight, but for sure tomorrow afternoon and evening. We expect 3-6" of snow with some areas seeing near ~8" and snow levels down to 4000-5000' (Figures 1-2). A bigger storm comes through Tuesday into Wednesday. This storm is trying to push more south than east, which could limit the impact around Tahoe. This storm is cold and wet though, so let's hope it swings more to the east.
Figure 2. 9,000-10,000 ft. winds, temperature, and heights. Very cold storms will be moving through the Tahoe area.
If the second storm takes a more easterly track, the Sierra and around Tahoe could see 8-14" with some of the highest elevations pushing 18". As of right now this isn't happening, so a more conservative estimate would be 4-8" (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Showing total precipitation from Saturday morning to Thursday morning.
If this was December or January, I would be pumped, but it is April and we have 5% of the normal snowpack. However, with the drought, this is much needed and welcomed and it may extend some backcountry excursions for another week or two.
This publication is sensational.
ReplyDeleteSabrina