The word of the day is harmonious. When our recreational endeavors and Mother Nature (and her weather) live in balance with one another, we create a feeling of wellness that can only be described as heavenly. It is our mastery in the making. Harmony is the collaboration of empathy and equality between ourselves and another, leaving no room for adversity. It is the grace of patient acceptance and the ability to conform to all conditions, peacefully. With this mindset, the fact that we have not had significant snow since January 8th, should be no problem.
Stats from the last 24 hours:
- Height of Snow - Mt. Shasta: 55 inches / Castle Lake: 27 inches / Mt. Eddy: 36 inches / Ash Creek Butte: 43 inches / Medicine Lake: 31 inches
- Temperatures - Min: 15° / Max: 37° - two degrees cooler than yesterday (near treeline)
- Wind - Predominant wind direction has been SE with an average speed of 7 mi/hr and gusts to 32 mi/hr. Wind speeds have died off from the day prior.
The new snow from last week has smoothed things out some, but sun and wind has shaped the snowpack into the dirty, firm, rough and tired surfaces we know well. Climbing conditions remain decent, but it's thin up there, with plenty of exposed rock. Skiing and snowmobiling is still possible from Bunny Flat. Skiing is also still possible from Castle Lake, and the lake is frozen. Pilgrim Creek snow park is marginal and one may want to drive past the park to find consistent snow.
No avalanche activity has been observed or reported in a long time. While many have perhaps given up on winter, there is still a usable snowpack out there for the diehards.
Today will be the last full day of mild weather before the pattern changes with more active weather in the forecast. Expect clear skies this fine Friday with temperatures in the upper 40s below treeline and near 30 at mid-mountain level. Wind will shift around from NW to S-SW over the next 24 hours, then back to NW on Sunday. Ya better hold onto your hat because Mother Nature is going to crank the wind knob this weekend. Look for increasing clouds to begin Saturday afternoon and winds to turn up ahead of the frontal boundary. Precipitation chances increase Saturday afternoon/evening. Snow levels will start at 5,000 feet at the onset of the storm and fall to between 3-5,000 feet. Unfortunately, it looks like areas to the north will receive the most snow, though Mt. Shasta should get about a half inch of water, which could mean 6ish inches of snow on the mountain. Not a whopper by any means, but at this point, ANYTHING helps.
