Avalanche Advisory for 2013-02-23 07:03:36

Not to many surprises with the storm that gave us a jab late yesterday and last night.The area received a trace to up to an inch of snow with moderate to strong winds at the mid and upper mountain levels Lingering snow flurries persist this fine morning and should shut off by daybreak. Cool air will stay in the area today and northwest winds will howl above treeline with mostly clear skies. A warming trend will begin Sunday with a chance of snow into Monday, but that storm looks even weaker than the current one we just had. All in all, high pressure builds into next week.

WEATHER STATIONS - (last 24 hours):
In Mt. Shasta City at 0500, we have light snow and a current temperature of 33 F.
On Mt. Shasta:  In the Old Ski Bowl (7,600') on the south side of Mt. Shasta, we have a current temperature of 12 F. Snow on the ground totals 100"  inches with 1" new snow and 1" settlement. Temperatures have ranged from 12 F to 39F.  At Grey Butte (8,000') on the south side of Mt. Shasta winds averaged 20 mph from the NW with a max gust of 64 from the NW. The current temperature is 10 F and temps have ranged 10 F to 36 F.
Castle/Mt. Eddy:   Castle Lake - Castle Lake is hosting a current temp of 20 F. In the last 24 hours temperatures have ranged from 20 F to 45 F. Snow depth measures 47" inches with a trace of new snow and 1" settlement.  On Mt Eddy, we have 66" inches of snow on the ground with a trace of new snow and 1" settlement. The current temperature reads 17 F with temps ranging from 17 F to 41 F. Winds have been SE, averaging 2 mph and gusting to 15 mph from the SE.

THIS SEASON:    A brief re-cap of the snow season thus far in Mt. Shasta... Leading up until now, September and October were warm and dry with September recording exactly zero precipitation. November remained warmer than normal with precipitation almost double normal values, 9.16" vs. 5.08". A local weather COOP observed the 2nd wettest November on record. December started out wet and warm, but temperatures cooled and brought snow to very low elevations. Since our avalanche cycle near Christmas, we've had a few small storms that brought some amounts of snow to the area, but did not produced any notable avalanches. January was below normal for precipitation with a long period of high pressure and sun that kept skiing conditions somewhat meager. We've had a few storms lately that has brought a pittance of wintery weather, but nothing to write home about!  The area has been under siege by high pressure overall giving us blue bird days for the most part. Feb 7/8 gave us up to 11" of new snow followed by moderate NE winds. Most recently, on 2-22 a trace to and inch of snow fell in the area. High and dry weather is expected for the next week and potentially the rest of the month. We currently have 6-10 feet of snow above 6,500 ft. Since September 1st, Mt Shasta sits at 79% of normal, 22.55" recorded; normal 28.54". For 2013, we sit at 15% of normal with 1.85" recorded and 12.66" normal.

This advisory does not apply to Ski Areas or Highways and is for the Mt. Shasta, Castle Lake and Mt. Eddy back country. Use this information for guidance only. You may find different conditions in the back country and should travel accordingly. This advisory expires on midnight of the date it was posted unless otherwise noted.